Forayz: Mushroom Foraging Map for the Pacific Northwest Burn perimeters, soil conditions, snowmelt, wildfire smoke, tree species, and habitat models for Washington, Oregon, and the wider Western US
Forayz combines a dozen government data feeds into one map you can plan a trip from: where it burned, where the soil is warm and damp, where snow has just melted, which trees are growing, whether the air is smoky, and whether the land is open to foraging.
Tap anywhere on the map to read the conditions at that exact spot. Save waypoints, record your tracks, and download regions for offline use in the apps.
Free with a registered account. Pro unlocks recent burns, timber harvests, tree species density, habitat models, area fruiting calendars, and offline downloads.
At a Glance
Burn perimeters
Wildfires across the Western US, filterable by year, with a soil and vegetation severity overlay for recent fires.
Active wildfires
Current NIFC fire perimeters and incident points, updated through the season. Active fires show separately from contained ones.
Wildfire smoke & forecast
Near-surface smoke right now, plus peak smoke forecast 24 and 48 hours out. A blank map means clear air.
Soil temp & moisture
Both at the surface (0–3 in) and down in the root zone (3–11 in). Updated daily. Watch the 45–50°F range morels seem to prefer.
Snow & snowmelt
Current snow coverage for elevation timing, and a recent-melt mode showing where snow came off in the past two weeks.
Precipitation: 7, 14 or 30 days
Switch the accumulation window to match what you’re chasing, plus 30-year normals for regional context.
Tree species density
22 species mapped by live tree density — Douglas-fir, cottonwood, the firs, hemlocks, ponderosa, oak, madrone, redcedar and more.
Habitat models (experimental)
Matsutake habitat zones, in season. Where the mycelium probably lives — not a fruiting forecast.
Public lands, roads & trails
PAD-US (US) and CPCAD (Canada), the numbered USFS road network, maintained trails, and recreation sites.
Tap for conditions
Long-press anywhere (tap on the web) for elevation, soil temp and moisture, snow depth, recent rain, and the dominant trees at that spot.
Area fruiting calendars
Open a town or pass and see which species typically fruit in which months there, plus its ecoregion, forest composition and climate normals.
Waypoints, tracks & offline
Save spots with custom icons and folders, record GPS tracks, import and export GPX, and download regions to use with no signal.
Try it free
Every environmental layer — soil, snow, precipitation, smoke — is free with a registered account. No credit card.
Map Layer Catalog
Layers are grouped the way the in-app panel groups them. Most free layers need a Forayz account; Pro layers require a membership. Public lands and events work with no account at all.
Environmental Data
- Snow Free Coverage · Recent Melt (Pro)
- Soil Temperature Free Surface 0–3 in · Root Zone 3–11 in
- Soil Moisture Free Surface 0–3 in · Root Zone 3–11 in
- Precipitation Free 7-day · 14-day · 30-day accumulation
- Wildfire Smoke Free Now · +24h peak · +48h peak
- Precipitation Zones (30-yr normals) Free
- Ecoregions (tap for habitat notes) Free
Areas: Burns, Harvests & Habitat
- Recent Burns (filter by year) Pro
- Burn Severity (BAER / RAVG) Pro
- Historical Burns (25K+ perimeters, 2005–2023) Free
- Active Wildfires (NIFC, current season) Free
- Timber Harvests Pro
- Disturbed Forests (NASA OPERA, non-fire loss) Pro
- Matsutake Habitat (experimental, Jul–Dec) Pro
Tree Species (22, by live density)
- Alder Pro
- Maple Pro
- Aspen Pro
- Cottonwood Pro
- Douglas-fir Pro
- Grand Fir Pro
- White Fir Pro
- Red Fir Pro
- Pacific Silver Fir Pro
- Other Firs Pro
- Western Hemlock Pro
- Mountain Hemlock Pro
- Western Redcedar Pro
- Larch Pro
- Madrone Pro
- Oak Pro
- Tanoak Pro
- Lodgepole Pine Pro
- Ponderosa Pine Pro
- Western White Pine Pro
- Engelmann Spruce Pro
- Sitka Spruce Pro
Land Management
- Forest Roads (USFS, numbered) Free
- Trails (USFS maintained) Free
- Recreation Sites (trailheads, campgrounds) Free
- Events (classes, forays & meetups) Free
Land Ownership
- Public Access Lands (US + Canada) Free
- Land Use (WA) (parcels by category) Free
Beyond the Layers
Some of the most useful parts of Forayz aren’t toggles in the layer panel.
Tap the map for conditions Pro
Long-press anywhere in the apps, or click empty map on the web, and a pin drops with the conditions at that exact point: elevation, soil temperature and moisture, snow depth, 14-day rainfall, and the dominant tree species there. It answers “is this drainage worth the drive?” without toggling five layers on and off.
Area fruiting calendars Pro
Towns and mountain passes carry their own profile: a species-by-month fruiting grid built from iNaturalist phenology for that area, its ecoregion, the forest composition around it, and 30-year climate normals with a season-onset cue. Useful for a place you’ve never foraged.
Waypoints & folders iOS & Android
Save patches, parking spots, gates and downed trees with custom icons, organize them into folders, and import or export GPX to move them between apps. Pro members can sync waypoints across their devices.
Track recording iOS & Android
Record your GPS track as you walk so you can retrace it, see which slopes you actually covered, and export the whole thing as GPX. Recording keeps running in the background while the screen is off.
Offline downloads Pro
Download a region before you leave home and the map keeps working with no signal — basemap, roads, and your layers. Most good burns have no cell service.
Search & go
Search for a town, forest road, peak or address and jump straight there, then read the conditions at the pin before you commit to the drive.
Free vs. Pro
One account works across web, iOS, and Android.
| Feature | Free | Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Base maps (standard, terrain, satellite) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Soil temperature & moisture (surface + root zone) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Precipitation: 7, 14 & 30-day windows | ✓ | ✓ |
| Precipitation zones (30-year normals) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Snow coverage | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wildfire smoke, now and 24/48-hour forecast | ✓ | ✓ |
| Active wildfires (NIFC) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Ecoregions | ✓ | ✓ |
| Historical burns (2005–2023) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Public lands (US + Canada) & WA land use | ✓ | ✓ |
| Forest roads, trails & recreation sites | ✓ | ✓ |
| Events layer | ✓ | ✓ |
| Waypoints & track recording (iOS & Android) | ✓ | ✓ |
| Recent burns (filter by year) | — | ✓ |
| Burn severity overlay | — | ✓ |
| Recent snowmelt mode | — | ✓ |
| Timber harvests | — | ✓ |
| Disturbed forests (NASA OPERA) | — | ✓ |
| Tree species density (22 species) | — | ✓ |
| Matsutake habitat model | — | ✓ |
| Tap-the-map condition readout | — | ✓ |
| Area fruiting calendars & town profiles | — | ✓ |
| Waypoint sync across devices | — | ✓ |
| Offline map downloads | — | ✓ |
Pricing & no auto-renewal
Forayz Pro is a one-year, non-renewing membership. $14.99 on the web, $19.99 in the App Store and Google Play (Apple and Google take a cut). When the year ends, you decide whether to renew.
How Foragers Use It Through the Year
| Window | What to check |
|---|---|
| March – AprilLandscape morels | Surface soil temperature in urban areas. When it crosses the mid-40s, woodchip beds in parks and neighborhoods start producing. |
| April – MayRiver-valley naturals | 7-day precipitation along cottonwood corridors — the short window shows which valleys just got wet. Use the Cottonwood tree layer to find candidate stands. |
| May – JuneMid-elevation burns | Recent Burns filtered to last year’s fires, with root-zone soil temperature on top — the root zone lags the surface and tracks fruiting better than a warm afternoon does. Check snow coverage for access. |
| June – JulyHigh-elevation burns | Snow set to Recent Melt, layered over burn perimeters. North-facing slopes hold out longer; watch for late-spring rain in the 14-day window. |
| July – SeptemberFire season | Active Wildfires before you drive, and Wildfire Smoke +24h / +48h to pick a day worth breathing. Long-press a spot to check soil moisture before committing. |
| September – NovemberFall chanterelle & matsutake | 30-day precipitation for the season’s total soak, plus the tree layers — western hemlock and Douglas-fir for chanterelles, the Matsutake Habitat model for matsi. Open a nearby town for its fruiting calendar. |
Why burn maps matter
When wildfire kills conifer trees, mycorrhizal fungi in the root systems can fruit heavily the following spring. First-year burns are the most productive. The harder problem is knowing which burns to drive to and when conditions are right — burn perimeters paired with soil temperature and snow coverage answer both. For more on burn strategy, see the guide to finding morels in Washington.
Fire season is live
Active fire perimeters, near-surface smoke with a 48-hour forecast, and 30-day rainfall for the fall season — all updating now.
Three Platforms, One Account
- Web at salishmushrooms.com/forayz. No install. Works on desktop, tablet, and phone browsers.
- iOS on the App Store. Adds waypoints, track recording, GPX, and offline downloads.
- Android on Google Play. Feature parity with iOS.
FAQ
What does Forayz cost?
Free with a registered account for every environmental layer — soil, snow, precipitation, wildfire smoke — plus public lands, historical burns, active wildfires, roads, trails, and recreation sites. Pro is $14.99/year on the web, $19.99/year in the App Store and Google Play.
Where does Forayz work?
The full Western US plus most of Western Canada. Some layers (active wildfires, smoke, burn perimeters, tree species) extend across the lower 48; a few (WA parcels) are state-specific.
What can I see by tapping the map?
Long-press anywhere in the apps, or click an empty spot on the web, and Forayz drops a pin and reports the elevation, soil temperature and moisture, snow depth, 14-day rainfall, and dominant tree species at that point. It’s a Pro feature.
Can I save spots and record where I walked?
Yes, in the iOS and Android apps. Waypoints support custom icons and folders, tracks record in the background, and both import and export as GPX. Pro members can sync waypoints across their devices.
Can I use it offline?
Pro members can download a map region in the iOS or Android app and use it without cell service.
Does the Pro membership auto-renew?
No. It’s a one-year membership. When it ends, you choose whether to renew.
How is it different from other mushroom foraging apps?
Forayz focuses on the conditions that drive fruiting — soil temperature and moisture at two depths, recent rain over three windows, snowmelt, burn perimeters, tree species — instead of crowd-sourced pins. The question it’s built to answer is when and where to go, not what someone else found last week.
Is it useful outside of morel season?
Yes. Smoke and active-fire layers cover mid-summer. The matsutake habitat model and the 30-day precipitation window cover fall, and the tree species layers help locate chanterelle, hedgehog, and bolete habitat. Area fruiting calendars show which species are in season near any town on the map.
From Salish Mushrooms
Forayz is built by Salish Mushrooms, a Seattle-based mushroom education company. We also run guided tours, in-person classes, and free online lessons. Forayz started as a tool we made for ourselves to answer the question every tour begins with: how did you know to come here?