San Francisco Mushroom Calendar
San Francisco sits in the Central California Foothills and Coastal Mountains and has a drier, rain-shadowed climate, with roughly 22.9 inches of annual rainfall, most of it falling in the cool months from fall into spring. While the mushroom season never fully ends around San Francisco, 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
January, November, and December
Ground warms
~January
Hard frost
rare
Annual rain
22.9"
Driest
June through September
Species tracked
14
What Fruits When Near San Francisco
JFMAMJJASONDMorelKing BoleteMatsutakeChanterelleHedgehogOysterLobsterregLion'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. 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)
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 San Francisco
Common Questions
When is mushroom season in San Francisco?
Near San Francisco, 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 San Francisco?
Morel reports near San Francisco 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 San Francisco?
14 species show up in the observation record within about 10 miles of San Francisco, 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
- Arcata Mushroom Calendar
- 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
- Santa Cruz Mushroom Calendar