From roughly October through April, when the forests of Mendocino County are damp and cool, fungi thrive. Though most of the 3000 species found in the county are inedible, a dozen or so can be collected, cooked and eaten. Unless you’re an expert mycologist, the best way to find and identify them is to take a guided tour. We’ve rounded up a few of the best foraging tours below, all of which feature a mushroom expert who will show you where to go, and what to gather.
Details are accurate as of January 2025, but be sure to call to verify, as dates, times and prices can change.
Philo Fungitopia
This one-day-only event hosted by The Madrones and Wentworth Vineyards takes place on December 7, 2024. You’ll forage for mushrooms on private property and learn about mushroom habitats, ethical foraging, and where and how to find the most delicious fungi. You’ll finish up with hearty, mushroom-centric grazing platters featuring mushroom pate, smoked and pickled mushrooms, porcini and fir tip crackers, and pine cone and pine tip embellished cheeses and sample a glass of Wentworth wine. Click here to buy tickets.
The Inn at Newport Ranch
The Inn at Newport Ranch in Kibesillah (north of Fort Bragg) offers a unique and fun foraging experience through February 28, 2025. Included are a four-hour educational UTV excursion on the property; a picnic lunch served fireside that includes wine and tea; a lesson in how to make and “inoculate” a mushroom log (which guests can take home as a souvenir); and a delicious, mushroom-infused dinner. The price is $950 for two people. Accommodation is not included, but guests who book the mushroom experience will receive a 10% discount off their room rate, if they choose to stay at the Inn. Book online or call (707) 962-4818.
Alison Gardner’s Tours
Gardner, one of the co-authors of The Wild Mushroom Cookbook, offers private guided tours around Mendocino County. She charges $75 per hour for one or two people, and an additional $25 per hour for each additional person. Most tours run about two hours, unless guests request a longer or shorter excursion. To book with Gardner, email garaway58@gmail.com.
Billy Sprague’s Tours
Inglenook-based “artist, craftsman, mushroom hunter & guide, musician, idea farmer, and psychonaut” Billy Sprague offers private guided tours in various secret spots around the Mendocino Coast, when his busy schedule allows. Contact him through his website to check his availability and prices.
Wilder Herbertson’s Tours
On Herbertson’s all-encompassing educational foraging tours you can expect to learn about identification of mushrooms, lookalikes, culinary/dye/medicinal uses, preservation methods, how to read the landscape, mushroom structure and ecology, ethical harvesting, and how to use different types of mushroom identification books. Click here for pricing and booking information.
Mendocino Insider Tours
From October through February Mendocino Insider Tours takes groups on three-hour foraging tours in various hidden spots in the forests of Mendocino County in search of delicious edible wild mushrooms. Tours cost $85 per person (four-person minimum). Call 707-962-4131 or email info@mendoinsidertours.com to book.
Stanford Inn by the Sea
In fall and winter, both guests and non-guests of this lovely Mendocino inn can book a 1-2 hour guided tour with Adrienne Long, a local mushroom specialist, to search for both mushrooms and other edible wild plants. The cost for inn guests is $135 for 1-2 people or $60 per person for 3-10 people; the cost for non-guests is $145 for 1-2 guests or $70/person for 3-10 people. Reservations are required, and cancellations must be made at least 24 hours in advance. To book, call (707) 937-5615, or visit the Inn’s website.
MacCallum House
Guests of this elegant boutique hotel in Mendocino can enjoy a self-guided mushroom foraging experience through March 31, 2024 with the Mushroom Enthusiast package. It includes a two-night stay in a premier room, a gourmet breakfast each morning, an Opinel mushroom knife, a leather foraging bag and a mushroom identification book. Those who purchase the package will also enjoy a bespoke mushroom-based cocktail and candy cap mushroom dessert served in the restaurant. Cost: $1100 on weekdays, $1200 on weeknights. To book, call 800-609-0492, visit the website, or email reservations@maccallumhouse.com.
Brewery Gulch Inn
Guests of this elegant inn located in Mendocino can request a guided foraging experience with an expert mycologist. Tours take two to two-and-half hours and cost $95 per person. Click here for more information.
Mar Vista Farm + Cottages
Chris “Cab” Boettcher, co-owner of this unique nine-acre eco-farmstay in Gualala, takes guests foraging on the property at no charge. For more information or to book a stay, visit the website or call 707-884-3522.
Mendocino Coast Mushroom Club
If you’ve foraged some mushrooms of your own but aren’t sure if they’re edible, attend one of the monthly meetings of the Mendocino Coast Mushroom Club! In addition to featuring a variety of guest speakers, they can help identify your fungi and let you know if it’s safe to eat or not. Meetings take place from September to May on the second Tuesday of the month from 5:30-7:30 pm. You can attend in person at the First Presbyterian Church in Ft. Bragg, or via Zoom.
If you plan to forage on your own in Mendocino County, please be aware that it is not allowed on private property without the permission of the property owner. Foraging is also not allowed in state parks. You can forage in Jackson Demonstration State Forest (JDSF), but you must get a permit in advance, by mail. Permit information for JDSF can be found here.
