Arcata Mushroom Calendar
Arcata sits in the Coast Range and has a damp, maritime-influenced climate, with roughly 40.4 inches of annual rainfall, most of it falling in the cool months from fall into spring. While the mushroom season never fully ends around Arcata, the milder, wetter shoulders of the year still bring its strongest flushes. Summer fruitings stay confined to pockets of moisture — irrigated urban ground can be one — and the real abundance arrives with the fall rains in October.
Best months
October, November, and December
Ground warms
~January
Hard frost
rare
Annual rain
40.4"
Driest
June through September
Species tracked
15
What Fruits When Near Arcata
JFMAMJJASONDMorelKing BoleteMatsutakeChanterelleHedgehogOysterLobsterLion's Mane / Bear's HeadBlewitThe PrinceShaggy ManeBlack TrumpetCandy CapChicken of the WoodsYellowfoot
Shading shows when each species typically fruits within about 10 miles, not abundance. Based on iNaturalist observation trends.
The Shape of the Season
All species combined — local observations within about 10 miles, by month.
Weather Through the Year
Average daily high–low (°F)
Average monthly precipitation (inches)
The Forest Around Arcata
Dominant tree species within about 10 km — the hosts that shape which mushrooms grow here.
- Redwood55.5%
- Douglas-fir18.6%
- Tanoak13.9%
- Sitka Spruce4.3%
- Red Alder3.6%
Track the Season as It Happens
This calendar shows typical timing. A free Salish Mushrooms account adds live environmental layers — soil moisture, soil temperature, snow cover, and recent precipitation — on the Forayz map.
Species to Know Near Arcata
Common Questions
When is mushroom season in Arcata?
Near Arcata, most mushroom activity arrives with the fall rains. The strongest months in the local observation record are October, November, and December.
When do morels fruit near Arcata?
Morel reports near Arcata peak in April. Timing tracks soil temperature, so south-facing slopes and lower elevations start earlier and higher ground runs later.
What mushrooms grow near Arcata?
15 species show up in the observation record within about 10 miles of Arcata, including Morel, King Bolete, Matsutake, Chanterelle, Hedgehog, Oyster, Lobster, Lion's Mane / Bear's Head. The calendar above shows when each one typically fruits.
Want live conditions instead of climatology? The Forayz map layers soil moisture, soil temperature, snow cover, and recent burns over the same area.
Nearby Calendars in Northern California
- Crescent City Mushroom Calendar
- Fort Bragg Mushroom Calendar
- Guerneville Mushroom Calendar
- Half Moon Bay Mushroom Calendar
- Mill Valley Mushroom Calendar
- Monterey Mushroom Calendar
- Mount Shasta Mushroom Calendar
- Nevada City Mushroom Calendar
- Oakland Mushroom Calendar
- Point Reyes Station Mushroom Calendar
- San Francisco Mushroom Calendar
- Santa Cruz Mushroom Calendar