Guided Mushroom Tours Small-group foraging tours across the Washington Cascades
These are hands-on foraging tours. We head into the Cascade national forests, read the habitat together and work through everything we find. You take home what you pick, and you leave knowing how to choose where to look next time.
Every area is a day trip from Puget Sound, including Seattle, Everett, Bellevue, Kirkland, Renton and Tacoma. Each card below shows the drive time from Seattle. No experience is needed, and beginners make up most of the group on most tours.
Picking a date rather than a place? Jump to every upcoming tour, or see the full events calendar for tours, classes and festivals in one list.
Choose an Area
Each area has its own terrain, drive and season. The tour itself runs the same way in all of them.
- Darrington~1 hr 30 min from SeattleSauk and Suiattle river valleys off the Mountain Loop Highway, with big old stands and the quietest country I guide.No dates scheduled yet
- Skykomish~1 hr 15 min from SeattleThe US-2 corridor between Index and Skykomish. Steep valley walls, deep moss and the easiest highway access of any area.Next: Sun, Nov 15
- North Bend~45 min from SeattleThe Snoqualmie River forks just off I-90. It's the closest tour area to Seattle and the one that stays productive latest into the fall.No dates scheduled yet
- Snoqualmie Pass~1 hr from SeattleThe forests around Snoqualmie Pass on I-90. It's the one area that crosses the Cascade crest, running from wet west-side forest at the summit to drier east-slope country a few exits on, where the season ends early.No dates scheduled yet
- Greenwater~1 hr 30 min from Seattle · ~1 hr from TacomaSR-410 on the northeast side of Mount Rainier. It's the highest of the west-side areas, so the season starts early and it freezes first.Next: Sat, Nov 14
Every Upcoming Tour
Every area in one list, soonest first.
- GreenwaterSaturday, November 1412:30 pm – 3:30 pmBooking closed
- SkykomishSunday, November 159:00 am – 11:00 am
Don't see a date that works? Request a day and time. Tours are scheduled around conditions, so new dates go up through the season.
See every upcoming tour, class and event on the full calendar →
What the Day Looks Like
Reading the Habitat
Why we stop where we stop: the trees, elevation and moisture that make a patch worth walking into, and the signs on the ground that back it up.
Hands-On Identification
We work through every find in the field. You'll learn which features matter, which don't, and how to get from "some mushroom" to a confident name.
Taking Some Home
Bring a basket or breathable bag. Whatever you pick is yours to keep, whether that's dinner or a single specimen to study, and I'll cover how to clean, store and cook it.
Staying Safe
The poisonous species to know on sight, and the edible mushrooms they can be mistaken for.
What We Find Is Up to the Forest
Mushroom foraging is unpredictable, and that's just as true with a guide. Some tours come home with enough for dinner. Some find a handful. Some don't turn up any of the choice edibles at all. We're often walking an area for the first time that season, and I don't know what conditions will be like until we get there.
The places I can take a group have their limits, too. They need to be on public land, a reasonable drive away, and easy enough walking for a mixed group. That means other foragers can reach them as well, and sometimes a good patch is picked before we arrive.
What doesn't depend on the day is what you learn: how to read the forest, how to identify what we do find, and how to go looking on your own afterwards.
For a fuller walkthrough of the day, see What to Expect.
What Guests Say
From guests at my in-person mushroom class, which is listed on Airbnb.
“Jeremy's workshop was fantastic! We walked away feeling confident being able to pick out chanterelles and porcini.” Sarah, Seattle WA · October 2024
“Jeremy is so personable and knowledgeable. You can tell he has a passion for mushrooms!” Jenelle, Seattle WA · June 2024
“He was so informative and answered all of our wide ranging questions. Highly recommend!” Katheryn, Glen Ellyn IL · March 2024
Request a Date or Get Notified
Nothing on the calendar that works? Tell me roughly when you’d like to get out and which area suits your drive, and I’ll let you know as soon as something is scheduled. If you have a group, I can usually set a date around you.
Gift certificates are available. Private tours can be arranged for your group on your date, and I can run tours in other parts of the Cascades by request.
Before You Go
Meetup: I send the exact meetup point to registered guests 3 days before the tour. Each tour lists its general area when you book.
Cancellations: Cancel at least 3 days before the tour for a full refund. That's when the exact meeting location goes out, so bookings can't be refunded after that point.
Roads: Forest service roads are fine for low-clearance vehicles. Expect potholes and the occasional rock, so take it slowly and pick your line.
Parking: Roadside pull-outs don’t need a pass, but many trailheads do. Where we park changes from tour to tour and isn’t always settled until the day, so if you have a Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful pass, bring it for your dashboard. Day passes are sold at recreation.gov and at ranger stations.
Restrooms: There will not be a public toilet once we’re in the forest. Bring some toilet paper and a plastic bag to pack it out.
Weather: Tours run rain or shine. If unsafe weather is forecast, I’ll reschedule or refund you in full.
Dogs: Sorry, no dogs on tours in the national forest.
Bring: Shoes for off-trail walking, weather-appropriate clothing, a charged phone with offline maps, a basket or breathable bag, and water and snacks. A small folding knife and a hiking pole are nice to have.
Age & fitness: Suitable for teens and adults comfortable with off-trail walking. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.
Keep going after the tour
Forayz maps burn perimeters, soil moisture, snow cover and tree species across the Pacific Northwest. Use it to turn what you learned about habitat on the tour into places to check on your own.