Find Mushrooms anywhere and everywhere through the USA
Who doesn't like a good mushroom hunt? Heck, even Mario is always looking for that magic mushroom to make life feel a little bigger;)
For centuries, people have foraged for mushrooms to eat. They have a name for it: Mycophagy. In 13,000-year-old archaeological sites in Chile, there is evidence of edible mushrooms.
In other words, we have done this forever. Joining in the hunt is an enjoyable time to connect with nature, as well as an enjoyable time to connect with our ancestors.
And you can literally do it anywhere-even any time-but especially good in the Spring and late Fall. We find 5 great mushroom areas in the USA according to the expert hunters - one in every region. We also pick a species you may be able to find, along with a list of psilocybin mushrooms known to be found in that area, courtesy of Shroomery.com.
Obligatory note: DON'T EAT WILD MUSHROOMS WITHOUT POSITIVELY IDENTIFYING IT FIRST BECAUSE DEATH!
1. Northeast/New England
Upstate New York, Chanterelle
The northeast is not known for great mushroom hunting, but there are spots that are better than others.. The forests of upstate New York are known to have quite a variety. In the summer, it is possible to find a lot of chanterelle mushrooms. Chanterelle are golden in color and smell of apricot and citrus, which is what makes it such a great and easy mushroom to find.
Shroomery.com gives a list of Psychoactive mushrooms to find in New York, with astericks representing how rare it is to find it (*** extremely rare - * not rare)
Conocybe cyanopus***
Pholiotina smithii***
Gymnopilus junonius**
Gymnopilus luteofolius**
Gymnopilus luteus**
Gymnopilus validipes**
Panaeolus cinctulus*
Panaeolus olivaceus**
Pluteus salicinus***
Psilocybe caerulipes**
Panaeolus fimicola**
Psilocybe liniformans var americana***
Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata**
Psilocybe semilanceata **
Psilocybe silvatica**
2. Southeast Region
Western North Carolina Mountains, Variety:
The beautiful wet mountains of western North Carolina gives mushroom hunters a terrific place to try their hand at hunting. According to Beverly-hanks.com, hunters can find Chanterelle, Chicken of the Wods, Lactarius, Lion's Mane, Morel, Reishi, and more.
Shroomery.com tells us these are the psychoactive possibilities in NC:
Gymnopilus aeruginosus**
Gymnopilus junonius**
Gymnopilus luteofolius**
Panaeolus cinctulus*
Psilocybe cubensis (south)*
Psilocybe caerulipes**
Psilocybe plutonia***
3. Midwest:
Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri, Morel
The midwest is one of the best regions to be in for mushroom hunting. Every spring, hunters gear up to search burn areas and fallen trees for the most popular of all mushrooms to find: morels. The season of morels is very short, so make sure to check websites like thegreatmorel.com for sightings and maps of areas.
One of the best spots to find morels, and other mushrooms, is Mark Twain National Forest in Missouri. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, "Morels seem to pop up overnight! They usually grow in 24 to 48 hours. Look for morels in moist woods, river bottoms, and on south-facing slopes. They’re often found near dead elm trees, in old orchards or burned areas."
Missouri Psychoactive mushroom list, according to Shroomery:
Gymnopilus braendlei***
Gymnopilus junonius**
Panaeolus cinctulus*
4. Southwest
Mountains of Colorado, Hawk's Wing
Listen: for mushrooms, you need water, and the desert is not known as having anything close to a rainforest. But anyone who has spent extensive time in New Mexico, Utah, Arizona or Colorado knows a little secret: there IS plenty of water, you just have to know where to look. And that's the same thing with mushrooms.. They are everywhere, you just need to know where to look. And when.
In AZ and NM, when the monsoon season comes, mushroom hunters head to the mountains where the trees are. Colorado gets a little bit more moisture, especially in the mountains, so it is there we turn our attention. One great find in Colorado is Hawk's Wing. They are plentiful, but not as popular as Morels or Chanterelle. Plus, they don't have any poisonous lookalikes, so pretty safe on that front. They have a large cap that literally looks like a hawk's wing, hence the name.
Shroomery.com's list for Colorado:
Conocybe cyanopus***
Gymnopilus junonius**
Panaeolus cinctulus*
Panaeolus olivaceus***
Pluteus salicinus***
5. Northwest
Tillamook State Forest in Oregon, Variety
Like the midwest, the northwest is prime foraging real estate. They also have a lot of folks that participate in foraging, which means many spots are secrets and mushrooms are swooped up quickly. It also means there are a lot of resources, like this handy chart below showing us seasons for each edible mushrooms.
Mushroom Grow Chart / oregondiscovery.com
The literal rainforest of Tillamook State Forest makes it a perfect spot to get your feet wet in mushroom hunting. Finding chanterelles is relatively easy, as well as finding the cauliflower-looking mushroom, Cauliflower mushroom, which grows from wood near the base of conifers.
Shroomery.com's list of mushrooms for Oregon:
Conocybe cyanopus***
Pholiotina smithii***
Gymnopilus aeruginosus**
Gymnopilus luteofolius*
Gymnopilus junonius**
Gymnopilus viridans**
Gymnopilus liquiritiae***
Panaeolus cinctulus*
Panaeolus olivaceus**
Psilocybe azurescens*
Psilocybe baeocystis**
Psilocybe cyanofibrillosa***
Psilocybe allenii**
Psilocybe cyanescens*
Psilocybe fimetaria***
Psilocybe liniformans var. americana***
Psilocybe ovoideocystidiata**
Psilocybe pelliculosa*
Psilocybe semilanceata*
Psilocybe sierrae***
Psilocybe silvatica**
Psilocybe strictipes**
Psilocybe stuntzii**
Happy hunting, everybody!