Season clock
Typical first flush Apr 1. Typical last flush Feb 15.
West-side rain forest + east-side burns. Fall peak Oct.
United States · season open
United States — Pacific Northwest
Oregon and Washington are the commercial wild-mushroom engine of North America. Two seasons: spring morels, fall everything else.
Olympics / Coast Range
Sitka / hemlock moss · 0–800 m
West Cascades
Fir-hemlock, classic chants · 200–1,200 m
East Cascades burns
Pine / fir burns · 800–1,800 m
Siskiyou / SW Oregon
Tanoak matsutake · 200–1,400 m
Gifford / St. Helens
Young stands, lobster · 400–1,200 m
Permits
National forests: personal-use permits often free or cheap at ranger stations. Commercial permits are limited and species-specific (especially matsutake). State parks usually closed. Wilderness rules vary.
Selling
Selling to buying stations is the norm. You need a commercial permit for the forest you picked. Cottage-food laws do not usually cover wild mushrooms — use a licensed buyer or processor.
Species on this ground
True Morel
Apr 1 → Jun 25
Morchella spp.
Low west first; burns run later. Peak: Apr 20–Jun 1.
Lobster Mushroom
Jul 15 → Oct 5
Hypomyces lactifluorum
Young fir. Peak: Aug–Sep.
Golden Chanterelle
Sep 1 → Nov 25
Cantharellus formosus / C. cibarius complex
State mushroom energy. Peak: Oct.
American Matsutake
Sep 20 → Nov 15
Tricholoma murrillianum
Siskiyou + eastside sand. Peak: Oct.
King Bolete / Porcini
Aug 25 → Nov 5
Boletus edulis complex
Kings at elevation first. Peak: Sep–Oct.
Winter Chanterelle / Yellowfoot
Oct 15 → Feb 15
Craterellus tubaeformis
Coastal lowlands. Peak: Nov–Jan.