Forests › Northern California
Mushroom foraging in Tahoe National Forest
12 of our 17 species have habitat in Tahoe National Forest (about 3,664 km² of public forest mapped). No species is flushing widely this week. 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 conifericolaOut of season
2,536 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.
Fall king bolete
Boletus edulis groupIn season, quiet this week
2,320 km² of habitat · season here 7 Oct – 12 Dec
Sitka spruce and shore pine dunes, Bishop and Monterey pine, tanoak–madrone, true fir.
Spring king
Boletus rex-verisOut of season
2,243 km² of habitat · season here 16 May – 10 Jun
Ponderosa, lodgepole and white fir mixed conifer, red fir; follows the snowmelt line.
Matsutake
Tricholoma murrillianumOut of season
1,851 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 groupIn season, quiet this week
1,338 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
1,198 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
1,047 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.
Hedgehog
Hydnum spp.Out of season
994 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.
Cauliflower
Sparassis radicataOut of season
550 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.
Natural morels
Morchella spp.Out of season
261 km² of habitat · season here 11 Apr – 27 May
Riparian cottonwood, mixed conifer and red fir, aspen; also landscaping wood chips.
Oyster
Pleurotus ostreatus groupOut of season
70 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.
Burn morels
Morchella spp., recent firesOut of season
1 km² of habitat · season here 11 Apr – 27 May
Conifer forest inside last year's fire perimeters; fruits the first spring after the fire.
"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
- Permit required: Tahoe NF says a forest product permit is needed to collect fungi, including mushrooms; check with the ranger district. 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.