Guided Mushroom Tours Small-group foraging tours across the Washington Cascades
These are working foraging tours, not walks with a narrator. We go into the Cascade national forests, read the habitat together, work through whatever we find, and you take home what you pick — along with the part that actually lasts, which is knowing how to decide where to look next time.
Every tour area is an easy drive from the Puget Sound region: Everett, Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Renton, Tacoma, and Olympia. No experience is needed, and beginners are the majority on most tours.
Choose an Area
Each area has its own terrain, its own drive, and its own season. Pick whichever fits your calendar — the tour format is the same in every one.
- Darrington~1 hr 30 min from SeattleSauk and Suiattle river valleys off the Mountain Loop Highway — big old stands and the quietest country I guide.Next: Sat, Oct 10
- 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 of them.No dates scheduled yet
- North Bend~45 min from SeattleThe Snoqualmie River forks just off I-90 — the closest tour area to Seattle, and the one that stays productive latest into the fall.Next: Tue, Oct 6
- Snoqualmie Pass~1 hr from SeattleThe forests around Snoqualmie Pass on I-90 — the one area that crosses the Cascade crest, from wet west-side forest at the summit to drier east-slope country a few exits on, where the season runs early.Next: Sat, Oct 3
- Greenwater~1 hr 30 min from Seattle · ~1 hr from TacomaSR-410 on the northeast side of Mount Rainier — the highest of the west-side areas, so it comes on early and freezes first.Next: Sat, Oct 17
Every Upcoming Tour
Every area in one list, soonest first. If you’re picking a date rather than a place, book from here.
- Snoqualmie PassSaturday, October 39:00 am – 12:00 pm3 spots leftBook This Date
- Snoqualmie PassSaturday, October 31:30 pm – 4:30 pm
- Snoqualmie PassSunday, October 49:00 am – 12:00 pm
- North BendTuesday, October 610:00 am – 1:00 pmSold out
- DarringtonSaturday, October 109:00 am – 12:00 pmSold out
- DarringtonSaturday, October 101:30 pm – 4:30 pm
- DarringtonSunday, October 119:00 am – 12:00 pm
- DarringtonSunday, October 111:30 pm – 4:30 pm
- GreenwaterSaturday, October 179:00 am – 12:00 pm
- Snoqualmie PassSunday, October 259:00 am – 12:00 pm
- DarringtonSaturday, October 319:00 am – 12:00 pm
- DarringtonSunday, November 19:00 am – 12:00 pm
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.
What the Day Looks Like
Reading the Habitat
Why we stop where we stop. Tree associations, elevation, moisture, and the ground signs that tell you a patch is worth walking into — the part most guides skip.
Hands-On Identification
Every find gets worked through in the field: the features that actually matter, the ones that don't, and how to move from "some mushroom" to a confident name.
Taking Some Home
Bring a bag, basket, or container. Anything we find is yours to keep, whether that's a meal or a single specimen to study, along with notes on cleaning, storing, and cooking it once you're back in your kitchen.
Staying Safe
The poisonous species worth knowing cold, and the look-alikes they get confused with.
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.
There’s a fuller walkthrough on the what to expect page.
What Guests Say
These tours are among the Pacific Northwest’s top-rated Airbnb experiences — and booking directly here costs less than booking them there.
“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
Same tour, same guide — booking direct through this page costs less than on Airbnb.
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. Groups can usually have a date built around them.
Gift certificates are available, and private tours can be arranged — your group, your date. Tours in other parts of the Cascades are possible by request.
Before You Go
Meetup: The exact meetup point is sent 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 passable in low-clearance vehicles, but expect potholes and the occasional rock — just pick your line carefully.
Parking: Bring a Northwest Forest Pass or America the Beautiful pass for your dashboard — most forest pull-outs and trailheads require one. Day passes are sold online at recreation.gov and at ranger stations.
Weather: Tours run rain or shine in typical Pacific Northwest conditions. If unsafe weather is forecast we reschedule or refund 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.
Want the Classroom Half First?
A tour is the best way to learn this, but a two-hour evening class is the cheapest way to find out whether you’re going to enjoy it — and it makes the tour land much harder when you already know what you’re looking at. I’m running Intro to Mushroom Foraging in four cities this September, ahead of the October peak.
Keep going after the tour
Forayz overlays burn perimeters, soil moisture, snowline, and habitat data on a map of the Pacific Northwest, so the habitat reading you learn on the tour turns into actual spots to check.