Mushroom Gathering Guidelines

Personal Use Harvesting

Mushroom picking is for personal use only. No permit required.

Personal use harvesting - applies: Pursuant to 36 CFR 261.50 (e), the following persons are exempt from this order: (0402-00-50):

• Persons may personal harvest up to 5 gallons of morel mushrooms per person and possess up to 10 gallons per person per day.

• The mushrooms are used for non-commercial purposes.

• Mushrooms are not to be sold for profit.

If you need further information about area, road or trail closures, go to the Alerts and Notices page. Boise National Forest Alerts and Notices page.

 

Locations and Best Times to Pick

The best times for successful mushroom gathering are dependent upon the picking area. Mushrooms emerge in the spring when moisture, soil, aspect, snow levels and temperatures are just right. Generally the season starts in late May and extends through June.

Most often the best location for mushrooms is in areas that were burned or the soil was disturbed the previous year. Sometimes there are mushrooms found two-three years after the burn, although usually the first year is generally the optimal season. The spring snow pack helps determine the amount and timing of mushroom growth. Snow melt can greatly influence when, and for how long, mushrooms survive.

Please use caution, because of this year's above normal snow pack, roads at elevations above 5000 feet may remain impassible due to snow and debris through June! Also rivers and creeks are running very high and can be dangerous.

Also, if there is a need to see fire history maps in the past, go to Reference Maps of Boise Wildfires on the role of fire webpage.

Know Your Mushrooms!

Each year interest grows in harvesting wild edibles from National Forests around the country. In many places, it's bracken ferns or pine nuts, but locally the primary interest lies in wild mushrooms.

Proper identification and determination of whether a mushroom is edible is solely the responsibility of the picker.