Forests › Northern California
Mushroom foraging in Sierra National Forest
11 of our 17 species have habitat in Sierra National Forest (about 2,235 km² of public forest mapped). This week 4 of them are flushing somewhere in the forest. Updated every night from the weather forecast.
Where the habitat is
5 km squares: darker green means more of the square is habitat for at least one species. The map shows the zones at 250 m.
Species and seasons
Chicken of the woods (conifer)
Laetiporus conifericolaSome flushing
972 km² of habitat · season here 2 Aug – 25 Sep
Big living or dead conifers: true fir, spruce, hemlock, also pines and redwood; mountains in California, down to the coast further north.
Spring king
Boletus rex-verisOut of season
679 km² of habitat · season here 16 May – 10 Jun
Ponderosa, lodgepole and white fir mixed conifer, red fir; follows the snowmelt line.
Fall king bolete
Boletus edulis groupFlushing peak Saturday, Nov 7
647 km² of habitat · season here 7 Oct – 12 Dec
Sitka spruce and shore pine dunes, Bishop and Monterey pine, tanoak–madrone, true fir.
Matsutake
Tricholoma murrillianumFlushing peak Thursday, Nov 5
523 km² of habitat · season here 22 Nov – 9 Jan
Lodgepole and shore pine, Shasta red fir, tanoak; sandy, acidic, well-drained soils.
Shrimp russula
Russula xerampelina groupFlushing peak Thursday, Nov 5
388 km² of habitat · season here 2 Nov – 10 Jan
Conifer forest (Douglas-fir, spruce, pine, hemlock), mixed evergreen forest in California.
Lobster
Hypomyces lactifluorum on RussulaOut of season
304 km² of habitat · season here not enough records
Orange mould on short-stemmed russulas under Douglas-fir, spruce, pine and hemlock; late summer to autumn.
Bear's head
Hericium abietis, H. erinaceus, H. coralloidesOut of season
303 km² of habitat · season here 6 Dec – 25 Jan
Large dead wood: true fir and Douglas-fir logs in the mountains, oak and tanoak in California.
Natural morels
Morchella spp.Out of season
269 km² of habitat · season here 11 Apr – 27 May
Riparian cottonwood, mixed conifer and red fir, aspen; also landscaping wood chips.
Hedgehog
Hydnum spp.Out of season
177 km² of habitat · season here 16 Jan – 18 Feb
Douglas-fir, hemlock and spruce; in California tanoak, live oak, madrone and Bishop pine. Late: into winter.
Oyster
Pleurotus ostreatus groupOut of season
160 km² of habitat · season here 28 Nov – 15 Jan
Dead alder, cottonwood, maple, oak and tanoak; spring and autumn in Oregon and Washington, winter in California.
Cauliflower
Sparassis radicataOut of season
50 km² of habitat · season here 10 Dec – 18 Jan
At the base of Douglas-fir and pines, often on the same tree year after year; autumn, winter in California.
"Flushing": at least a fifth of the species' habitat in the forest is rated good or better on one of the next 7 days. Season: the middle half of dated finds in this part of Northern California (GBIF, 2000-2026). How accurate is this?
Picking rules
- Check the rules with the land manager: National forest without a confirmed mushroom rule here (e.g. Inyo, Sierra, Humboldt-Toiyabe, Idaho forests); ask the forest. official page
Rules change: always check with the forest before you go. Wilderness areas, research natural areas and some monuments are closed to picking.
250 m habitat zones for 17 species, a 15-day flush outlook that follows the weather and the terrain, public-land picking rules, field mode with offline maps, picking alerts, and photo check-ins. It is in private beta: ask for an invite.
Ask for an inviteSafety
Never eat a wild mushroom unless an expert has identified it in person. Several deadly species grow in these forests.