Sierra Spring Mushroom Walk

This is a guided mushroom walk in the woods where you have time to ask questions and learn how to find and identify mushrooms.  We may find morels and Spring Porcini, which are excellent edibles.  We will take you to pre-scouted locations in US National Forests to look for mushrooms of all types.  Its always fun to get out in nature and experience these forests as they start blooming in the Spring!   For edible mushrooms, we will look for morels and boletes, and we often find puffballs (edible), and many types of mushrooms that are considered non-edible but are not dangerous.   We will discuss and try to identify all mushrooms found (some require microscopes or DNA sequencing).

This year, Ken is leading the forays himself.  Ken will take a small group to pre-scouted locations in the Sierra's to forage for these amazing wild mushrooms.

Spring 2023 locations will start at Pollock Pines, and from there we will drive (in your own cars) to various locations in the forest (usually 30-45 minute drive).  We will be scouting ahead, and will try to find good spots with potential for edible mushrooms. 

• How to recognize the habitat for morels, boletes, and other fungi
• Indicator plants and fungi that typically signal morels or boletes are nearby
• Identifying look-alike's that are NOT morels (Morchella species group) or Spring Kings (Boletus rex-veris), or Butter Boletes (Butyriboletus primiregius)
• Cooking instructions (Don't eat raw morels!)
• Storage and dehydration tips
• Permits are not necessary as long as you're not selling your mushrooms

Details will be emailed to you the week before the foray.   And you can email me questions any time: ken@walkinthewoods.co,
or Facebook Messenger:  facebook.com/walkinthewoods.co
or Instagram: instagram.com/kbuegel

We will be going to the Tahoe and El Dorado National Forests this year.  Exact locations will be determined after scouting the prior weeks.  So, an exact meet-up location will be sent by email/text the week before your foray.  We meet at 9:45am, and Ken will take the group (in your own cars) to various locations in the National Forests.  Be prepared for high altitude walking (around 6000ft), cool weather, and possible rain.  Good hiking shoes or boots are very helpful!

NOTE: We cannot guarantee you'll find edible mushrooms, but we give you all the information you need to find them.  Bboletes emerge later in the season than morels, so the early forays in April/May may not find these (but we'll show you where to look).  Edible Puffball mushrooms (Calvatia sculpta) and various cup fungi are fairly common.

We also highly recommend downloading a GPS app on your phone like GAIA or AllTrails to track your location in the forest, so you don't get lost or turned around.  Other useful apps like iNaturalist can help you identify mushrooms and plants you may find.