Fungi, if you haven’t noticed, are the “it” kingdom of life these days. You can’t go far in the Portland area without running into toadstool-patterned socks or a delicious mycological menu item.

But moist, forested Oregon—and the Cascadia ecoregion more broadly—has always been a “fungal paradise,” according to mycologist Noah Siegel, coauthor of a 2024 guidebook, Mushrooms of Cascadia, that covers over 750 species. “They come in pretty much every single color possible and range from minuscule tiny little mushrooms that are a millimeter across to the Noble Polypores, which can be five feet across,” Siegel says. “All of that is right under your nose, in the forest around you.” It’s truly a wonderland out there.

The mushroom is  just the reproductive part of a larger fungus. For most species, the bulk of the organism is a network of microscopic strands of cells called hyphae that are interwoven in the soil or plant tissue. That’s why harvesting mushrooms is sustainable: It doesn’t kill the organism. It is akin to picking an apple off a tree.

A long-running study on chanterelles in Mt. Hood National Forest confirms that harvest doesn’t reduce the number of mushrooms that appear in the following years. Experts at land management agencies set harvest limits to ensure everyone who wants mushrooms can get some; if you stick to the rules, you can feel good about your harvest. “There’s a lot of rebalancing built into the system,” says US Forest Service spokesperson Catherine Caruso. “If we say you can pick there, you can pick there.”

Mushroom hunting, whether to collect dinner or as a natural history activity like birding, is a fantastic and inexpensive way to get outside, get off the beaten path (literally), and burrow deeper into your own existence as an ecological being. But it can be intimidating for beginners. Follow the steps below, and before you know it you’ll be frolicking among the fungi with the best of them.

1. Do your armchair research. 

Before you hit the woods, and definitely before you put anything in your mouth, study up. Classic mushroom guides include All the Rain Promises and More, by David Arora, which also boasts the best cover of any field guide ever, and Mushrooms of the Pacific Northwest by Steve Trudell. Siegel’s encyclopedic guidebook Mushrooms of Cascadia, cowritten with Christian Schwarz, is so thorough it could overwhelm beginners, but it does include info for newbies. For recipes, try Wild Mushrooms: A Cookbook and Foraging Guide by Reedsport-based Kristen and Trent Blizzard.

Download the iNaturalist app, which collects observations by a large user base. Quality control systems help keep the information quite reliable. Foragers also swap tips and identifications in dedicated online forums such as the PNW Mushroom Foraging and Identification Facebook group, which has more than 66,000 members. David Arora himself has been known to make comments—weighing in, for example, on whether butter boletes are as tasty as the more famous king boletes. (His verdict? “You butter bolete it!”)

Pick a few easy species to research. Good edible starter species include morels and chanterelles. Trent Blizzard—cofounder of Modern Forager, which sells gear and maps—says chanterelles are “the best beginner mushroom.” “They are not just common, but abundant,” he says. “They are easy to see, since they are bright yellow or orange or pale yellow.” Some mushrooms can upset some people’s stomachs, but chanterelles, Blizzard says, “agree with everyone.” If you want to get fancy, add boletes, oyster mushrooms, hedgehog mushrooms, lobster mushrooms, and matsutakes—the cinnamon-scented royalty of the pine woods. (Scroll down for an illustrated cheat sheet.)

2. Get ecological.

To find specific mushrooms, learn what they like and where they live. Many popular species are mycorrhizal fungi, which associate with tree roots and provide water and nutrients to the trees in exchange for energy. For example, Pacific golden chanterelles (Oregon's official state mushroom) associate with conifers and tend to hang out in younger and middle-aged Doug-fir and western hemlock forests. King boletes, on the other hand, associate with Sitka spruce, among others. “It is really important to learn your trees,” says Denise Berkshire, director of the Tillamook Forest Center. “The mushrooms are scattered throughout the entire forest. That’s why it is so important to understand habitat.”

Many edible mushrooms are highly seasonal. Morels, for example, burst forth from the duff in the ponderosa pine forests of the eastern Cascades just after the snow melts in the spring. If you start at lower elevations and hunt at higher and higher elevations as the weeks pass, you can surf the morel wave for a long time. Chanterelles, by contrast, pop up in the fall on the wetter west side.

3. Meet mentors. 

The best way to get the hang of looking for mushrooms is to make like a mycorrhiza and join up with our vast local network of fungi fans. In the Portland area, the Oregon Mycological Society offers field trips, workshops, and twice-yearly mycology camps, plus an annual fall mushroom show with incredible displays at the World Forestry Center. Membership is just $30, or $25 for students and seniors, renewable annually at even lower rates. The Tillamook Forest Center and Oregon State Parks frequently host free fungi-themed events, especially in the fall.

4. Gear up.

You can buy all sorts of foraging gear, but you don’t really need much beyond a knife and a bag or basket. Opinel makes a stainless-steel mushroom knife with a brush on the handle end for removing dirt and duff from just-picked fungi, but a toothbrush works well, too. Many foragers choose net or mesh bags so spores can escape and repopulate the forest floor, though it’s unclear whether this makes a real difference. Regardless, avoid plastic bags, which lead to slimy mushrooms. Don’t forget water and snacks.

5. Follow the rules.

Foraging is generally allowed in state parks, state forests, national forests, and in the Bureau of Land Management’s vast holdings. (You can’t pick mushrooms in national parks and monuments or in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, and you can’t remove mushrooms from designated wilderness areas.) Rules for where, what, and how many mushrooms you can pick vary from site to site. Some locations require free permits. Regulations are more than a bureaucratic annoyance: They are how society ensures that a noncommercial, public resource can be enjoyed by all.

6. Select a spot.

Popular fall foraging destinations near Portland include the Tillamook State Forest, Siuslaw National Forest, and Gifford Pinchot National Forest. Access picking areas by parking at trailheads or in some cases by pulling safely off to the side of forest roads. Then simply walk into the woods and look around. It may feel weird or even wrong to wander off trail and pick things. But these forests are specifically managed for use. So get in there and use them!

7. Stay safe. 

Before you head out, make sure someone knows where you’re going and when you plan to be back. Mushroom foraging can take you on a circuitous route without any signs or trail markers, so keep track of your location and know how to return to your vehicle. Don’t rely on cell service to navigate—carry a topographic map (the forest service has free PDF files you can print at home) and consider an app that allows for offline GPS navigation. Wear bright colors, especially during fall hunting seasons.

In terms of eating, never consume anything you can’t identify with total confidence. Plenty of delicious mushrooms are very difficult to mistake for anything dangerous, Siegel says. “You can safely gather 10 or 15 different species in the Northwest in abundance and never branch out from that, and always have enough during season to pick,” he says. True beginners are typically cautious enough to avoid getting into trouble, he adds. It’s usually the people who have been foraging for a while and become overconfident who make mistakes. “You think you know everything, and you act like it when you really don’t,” he says. The key is to stay humble.

You may not find your target mushrooms every time you go out, but you’ll never be truly skunked. I have never not found something fascinating to observe in the woods: beautiful and strange species of fungi I’ve never seen before, tiny forest-floor orchids, spiders lying in wait in trillium blossoms for insect prey, bear poop, elk skulls, the boom of a grouse, or the popsicle-colored flash of a Western tanager against the sky. You may find that the creamy chanterelle and earthy morel are more than just delicious gifts provided by the earth. They are the keys to some of the loveliest and most magical days you can spend in our public forests.

Fungi to Find

Chanterelle

Golden, trumpet-shaped mushroom with thick, branched ridges (not gills) on underside. Pops up in the fall in Western Oregon, typically in forests of Doug fir and western hemlock. Abundant and easy to recognize. Prime starter mushroom.

Morel

Cap honeycombed with ridges and pits. Bursts forth from the duff in the forests of the eastern Cascades just after spring snowmelt. Also flourishes after fire; GeoForage sells burn maps to help you hunt. Watch for false morels—true morels are hollow inside both stem and cap.

King bolete

Also known as porcini. Hefty, light brown, and often partly or mostly under the surface. Fruits in autumn, often near Sitka spruce. Extremely tasty. There are many types of boletes; this one’s called the king for a reason.

Oyster

Pale undulating cap. Grows sideways from rotting wood, often from standing hardwood snags, and in same location year after year (so mark your maps). Found fall and spring. Beware of unpleasant-tasting look-alikes.

Matsutake

White to light brown, gilled, and found among ponderosa pines. Indescribably complex taste, with strong notes of cinnamon candy. Highly prized, economically important— see Anna Lowenhaupt Tsing’s The Mushroom at the End of the World.