Half Moon Bay Mushroom Calendar

Half Moon Bay sits in the Coast Range and has a moderately damp climate, with roughly 26 inches of annual rainfall, most of it falling in the cool months from fall into spring. While the mushroom season never fully ends around Half Moon Bay, the milder, wetter shoulders of the year still bring its strongest flushes. Like much of Northern California, summers around Half Moon Bay run dry, and flushes show up only sporadically where localized rain falls; the season picks up again in October when the fall rains return.

Best months January, November, and December
Ground warms ~January
Hard frost rare
Annual rain 26"
Driest June through September
Species tracked 13

What Fruits When Near Half Moon Bay

JFMAMJJASONDMorelKing BoleteMatsutakeChanterelleHedgehogOysterLobsterregLion's Mane / Bear's HeadBlewitThe PrinceShaggy ManeBlack TrumpetCandy CapChicken of the WoodsYellowfootreg

Shading shows when each species typically fruits within about 10 miles, not abundance. Based on iNaturalist observation trends. reg = pooled from the surrounding area where local sightings were sparse.

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 Half Moon Bay

Dominant tree species within about 10 km — the hosts that shape which mushrooms grow here.

  • Tanoak49.2%
  • Redwood37%
  • Douglas-fir8.7%
  • Pacific Madrone5.1%

Common Questions

When is mushroom season in Half Moon Bay?

Near Half Moon Bay, mushroom season runs through the wet winter: the first soaking fall storms open it and it peaks in the cool, rainy months. The strongest months in the local observation record are January, November, and December.

When do morels fruit near Half Moon Bay?

Morel reports near Half Moon Bay peak in March. Timing tracks soil temperature, so south-facing slopes and lower elevations start earlier and higher ground runs later.

What mushrooms grow near Half Moon Bay?

13 species show up in the observation record within about 10 miles of Half Moon Bay, including Morel, King Bolete, Matsutake, Chanterelle, Hedgehog, Oyster, Lion's Mane / Bear's Head, Blewit. 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

Climate normals: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals (1991–2020). Season-onset timing is an air-temperature proxy, not a soil reading.