Monterey Mushroom Calendar

Monterey sits in the Central California Foothills and Coastal Mountains and has a drier, rain-shadowed climate, with roughly 20.4 inches of annual rainfall, most of it falling in the cool months from fall into spring. While the mushroom season never fully ends around Monterey, the milder, wetter shoulders of the year still bring its strongest flushes. Like much of Northern California, summers around Monterey 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, February, and December
Ground warms ~January
Hard frost rare
Annual rain 20.4"
Driest June through September
Species tracked 13

What Fruits When Near Monterey

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 Monterey

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

  • Redwood100%

Species to Know Near Monterey

King Bolete King Bolete Peaks in December Blewit Blewit Peaks in January Photo: Jeremy Collison (CC BY-NC)

Common Questions

When is mushroom season in Monterey?

Near Monterey, 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, February, and December.

When do morels fruit near Monterey?

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

What mushrooms grow near Monterey?

13 species show up in the observation record within about 10 miles of Monterey, 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.