Spore & Scout · Free Field Reference

The Pacific Crest Trail Forager's Guide

Edible mushrooms of the PCT from Southern California to Washington and their dangerous look-alikes — universal safety protocols and emergency poison control contacts. Our gift to the PCT hiking community — share it freely.

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This dataset is provided solely for educational, informational, and entertainment purposes. It does not constitute professional mycological, foraging, medical, or survival advice. Wild mushroom consumption carries inherent, extreme risks, including severe permanent organ damage, neurological injury, or death. Neither the author, data creator, nor software platform assumes any responsibility, liability, or obligation for any injury, illness, loss of life, or adverse reactions resulting from the use, interpretation, misinterpretation, or application of this data. Users forage entirely at their own risk.

By accessing, viewing, or using this guide, the end-user explicitly agrees to hold harmless the developer, publishers, and distributors from any claims, damages, liabilities, costs, or medical expenses arising from foraging decisions.

Universal Safety Protocols

Golden Rule: When in doubt, throw it out. Never consume a wild mushroom based on a single field identification asset.

  1. 1. Verify Every Marker Verify 100% of the key visual markers listed in the specific regional profile.
  2. 2. Take a Full Spore Print Take a complete spore print on both white and black paper if a lookalike has a distinct spore color requirement.
  3. 3. Confirm the Host Ensure the specimen is growing on the documented host wood or soil matrix.
  4. 4. Inspect for Contamination Check for signs of insect infestation, decay, or chemical spray contamination before harvesting.
  5. 5. Keep a Voucher Specimen Retain one un-cooked, intact specimen in a paper bag in the refrigerator as a voucher for medical teams in case of accidental poisoning.
Cooking Requirement — All Species All wild edible mushrooms must be thoroughly cooked before consumption — raw wild mushrooms contain indigestible chitin walls and volatile toxins that can cause severe gastrointestinal distress.
Sierra Porcini (Boletus rex-veris) Cook thoroughly until internal flesh reaches a uniform hot temperature; undercooked boletes can cause mild, temporary stomach upset.
Pacific Golden Chanterelle (Cantharellus formosus) Sauté in a dry pan first to release excess water content, then cook thoroughly with fat for at least 10-15 minutes to break down complex fibers.
Matsutake (Tricholoma murrillianum) Slice thinly and cook completely; the dense, firm texture requires longer heat exposure to become fully digestible.

Emergency Poison Control Contacts

RegionContactNumberNotes
National / Universal (US) America's Poison Centers 1-800-222-1222 24/7/365 — routes automatically to the nearest regional poison center based on area code or cellular connection tower.
California California Poison Control System 1-800-222-1222 calpoison.org
Oregon Oregon Poison Center 1-800-222-1222 ohsu.edu
Washington Washington Poison Center 1-800-222-1222 wapc.org

1. Southern California (Desert & Chaparral) Elevation 3,000-9,000 ft · Laguna Mountains to San Jacinto Mountains

Arid desert and chaparral foraging zones

EDIBLE
Elongated, drumstick-shaped Desert Shaggy Mane growing from sandy desert soil, showing its woody tan-and-white scaled cap with no visible gills, unlike a true shaggy mane

Photo: (c) Jasper Nance, CC BY-NC-ND, via iNaturalist

Desert Shaggy Mane

Podaxis pistillaris

  • Cap: elongated, woody, white to tan, scales present, does not deliquesce easily
  • Gills: internal spore mass (gleba), turns black and powdery with maturity
  • Stem: woody, fibrous, central, extends deep into sandy soil
  • Spore print: blackish-brown
  • Habitat: arid soils, desert roadsides, chaparral clearings
  • Season: late winter to early spring (after rare desert rains)

🍳 Cooking note: Only harvest and eat while young, when the interior flesh is still pure white and firm — like all puffball-type mushrooms, it becomes inedible once the gleba starts turning black and powdery with spores. Slice and sauté thoroughly before eating.

VS
TOXIC LOOK-ALIKE
Cluster of False Parasol mushrooms on a lawn, showing the shaggy white cap covered in scattered brown scales — the classic warning sign that distinguishes it from a true edible parasol

Photo: (c) axelemilio, CC BY-NC, via iNaturalist

False Parasol

Chlorophyllum molybdites

Toxicity: Gastrointestinal irritant, low-to-moderate lethality (severe dehydration risk)
Onset: 1-3 hours
Symptoms: Violent explosive vomiting, severe diarrhea, intense abdominal cramping
  • Cap: convex to flat, white with scattered brownish scales
  • Gills: free from stem, white aging to distinct grayish-green
  • Stem: smooth, white to brown, thick movable ring
  • Spore print: green to dull olive-green
  • Habitat: grassy lawns, trailsides, disturbed chaparral soils
  • Season: summer to early autumn
⚠️ Critical Distinction: MUST perform a spore print. True edible parasols never have green spore prints or green-tinted mature gills.

2. Central California (Sierra Nevada Foothills & High Sierra) Elevation 5,000-10,000 ft · Kennedy Meadows to Sonora Pass

Conifer forests along the high Sierra crest

EDIBLE
Reddish-brown Sierra Porcini with a thick, sticky-looking cap and a pale bulbous stem showing fine white net-like reticulation, with the pore surface visible instead of gills

Photo: (c) Dean Lyons, CC BY-NC, via iNaturalist

Sierra Porcini

Boletus rex-veris

  • Cap: reddish-brown to pinkish-buff, sticky when wet, thick flesh
  • Gills: pores instead of gills, white when young turning yellow-green
  • Stem: thick, bulbous, club-shaped, covered in white reticulation (netting)
  • Spore print: olive-brown
  • Habitat: associated with Red Fir and Lodgepole Pine
  • Season: spring to early summer (as snowmelt recedes)
VS
TOXIC LOOK-ALIKE

Smith's Bolete

Caloboletus smithii

Toxicity: Gastrointestinal distress & purgative, low lethality (extremely bitter, usually prevents full consumption)
Onset: 30 min-2 hrs
Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, severe stomach pain
  • Cap: olive-brown to clay-colored, dry, smooth
  • Gills: pores instead of gills, yellow, bruising instantly blue when touched
  • Stem: yellow at top, pinkish-red toward base, lacks prominent netting
  • Spore print: olive-brown
  • Habitat: mixed conifer forests, often overlapping with true boletes
  • Season: summer
⚠️ Critical Distinction: Scratch the yellow pore surface underneath the cap. If it instantly flashes dark blue, reject it immediately.

3. Northern California (Cascades & Klamath Mountains) Elevation 3,000-7,000 ft · Castle Crags to Cascade Range

Second-growth Douglas-fir and Western Hemlock forests

EDIBLE
Trumpet-shaped, wavy-margined Pacific Golden Chanterelle, uniformly orange from cap to stem, with blunt false-gill ridges running down the stem rather than true blade-like gills

Photo: (c) Alan Rockefeller, CC BY, via iNaturalist

Pacific Golden Chanterelle

Cantharellus formosus

  • Cap: orange to dull yellow, wavy margins, trumpet-shaped, smells of apricot
  • Gills: false gills, blunt ridge-like forks running down the stem (decurrent)
  • Stem: solid, meaty, same color as cap, tapers toward base
  • Spore print: pale yellowish-white
  • Habitat: deep moss, second-growth Douglas-fir and Western Hemlock forests
  • Season: autumn (after first heavy rains)
VS
TOXIC LOOK-ALIKE
Bright orange, velvety-capped False Chanterelle with thin, crowded, sharply forked true gills — visibly more blade-like and delicate than a real chanterelle's blunt ridges

Photo: (c) Matthieu Morin, CC BY-NC, via iNaturalist

False Chanterelle

Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca

Toxicity: Gastrointestinal allergen/mild toxin, low lethality (causes severe distress in sensitive individuals)
Onset: 1-4 hrs
Symptoms: Nausea, mild cramping, gastrointestinal upset, occasionally diarrhea
  • Cap: bright orange to brownish-orange, funnel-shaped, velvet texture
  • Gills: true gills, thin, crowded, repeatedly forked, brightly colored orange
  • Stem: hollow, thin, flexible, often darker orange-brown at base
  • Spore print: white
  • Habitat: decaying wood, wood chips, conifer forest floors
  • Season: autumn to early winter
⚠️ Critical Distinction: Examine the gills and stem. False chanterelles have true, blade-like gills that fork perfectly in twos, and their stems become hollow and flimsy.

4. Oregon (Cascade Mountains) Elevation 2,000-6,000 ft · Ashland to Columbia River Gorge

Sandy soils under Lodgepole Pine and Shasta Red Fir

🚨 MOST DANGEROUS PAIR IN THIS GUIDE 🚨
EDIBLE

Matsutake

Tricholoma murrillianum

  • Cap: white, developing brown scales, spicy cinnamon-red-hot-candy odor
  • Gills: white, closely spaced, notched attached to stem
  • Stem: solid, tough, white, thick cottony veil present
  • Spore print: white
  • Habitat: sandy soils under Lodgepole Pine and Shasta Red Fir
  • Season: autumn
VS
TOXIC LOOK-ALIKE
Smith's Amanita showing its telltale bulbous, rooting base buried below the soil line, rough white cap with loose warts, and a fragile, sticky, shredding veil on the stem

Photo: (c) Christian Schwarz, CC BY-NC, via iNaturalist

Smith's Amanita

Amanita smithiana

Toxicity: Nephrotoxic (kidney destroyer), EXTREMELY HIGH lethality (fatal without immediate medical intervention)
Onset: DELAYED 4-12 hours (often mimics standard food poisoning initially before kidneys fail at 2-6 days)
Symptoms: Delayed severe vomiting, diarrhea, acute abdominal pain, followed by decreased urination, extreme thirst, total kidney failure
⏱️ Why the delay is so dangerous: Because symptoms don't start for 4-12 hours, victims typically feel completely fine right after eating and go about their hike or evening as normal. By the time nausea and vomiting begin, the toxin has already been absorbed and kidney damage is already underway — many victims mistake the delayed onset for ordinary food poisoning and don't seek medical care until it's too late to prevent kidney failure. Any mushroom meal followed by delayed-onset GI symptoms is a medical emergency: get to a hospital immediately, even if you feel better in between.
  • Cap: white to cream, rough with easily rubbed-off floccose warts, faint earthy smell
  • Gills: white to cream, free or closely attached, crowded
  • Stem: white, rooting bulbous base below ground, fragile, sticky veil shreds
  • Spore print: white
  • Habitat: mixed conifer forests, frequently growing alongside Matsutake
  • Season: autumn
⚠️ Critical Distinction: Matsutake has a firm, clean, cottony veil and smells intensely like cinnamon or spicy gym socks. Amanita smithiana smells faintly sweet or earthy, has a crumbly sticky veil that falls apart like wet tissue, and has an underground bulbous base.

5. Washington (Cascades & Olympic Peninsula Boundary) Elevation 2,000-7,500 ft · Columbia River to Pasayten Wilderness

Conifer and hardwood boundary forests

EDIBLE
Bear's Head Tooth growing directly out of a conifer log, forming a cascading mass of soft white icicle-like spines with no cap and no gills at all

Photo: (c) ntune, via iNaturalist

Bear's Head Tooth

Hericium abietis

  • No traditional cap — forms a cascading mass of white icicle-like spines, 1-2 cm long, hanging in clusters
  • Short tough central branches from a single base
  • Spore print: white
  • Habitat: growing directly out of dead or dying conifer logs (especially Fir and Hemlock)
  • Season: autumn

🍳 Cooking note: Sauté thoroughly until golden brown to break down its dense, fibrous branching structure before eating.

VS
TOXIC LOOK-ALIKE
Cluster of olive-orange Jack-O'Lantern Mushrooms with normal funnel-shaped caps and sharp true gills, growing in a dense overlapping mass at the base of a hardwood tree — structurally nothing like the icicle-shaped Hericium

Photo: (c) Lorri G., CC BY-NC-ND, via iNaturalist

Jack-O'Lantern Mushroom

Omphalotus olivascens

Toxicity: Gastrointestinal neurotoxin/muscarinic-like effects, moderate lethality (non-lethal to healthy adults but highly debilitating)
Onset: 1-3 hrs
Symptoms: Severe unrelenting vomiting, severe abdominal pain, watery diarrhea, profuse sweating, heavy salivation
  • Cap: olive-orange to brown, flat to funnel-shaped, distinctly structured (unlike Hericium)
  • Gills: true sharp gills, decurrent, glow faintly bioluminescent in pitch dark
  • Stem: solid, central or off-center, fibrous, tapering down
  • Spore print: cream to whitish
  • Habitat: clusters at base of dead hardwood trees or buried roots (rarely conifers)
  • Season: autumn
⚠️ Critical Distinction: While they don't look alike structurally, beginners sometimes confuse names or forage blindly in low light. Jack-O'Lanterns have normal caps with true gills and grow in large overlapping clusters on hardwoods. Hericium grows exclusively as white icicles on conifers.

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