Pine mushrooms (matsutake) grow in older lodgepole pine and mixed forest on poor, sandy soils, from August to mid-October. They’re hard to predict, so Pickable ranks habitat to explore rather than promising a Go.
August to mid-October. Frost ends the season, and ground near 2,000 m is usually snow-affected by mid-October.
Lodgepole pine-leading forest, or Douglas-fir and hemlock with pine, 60 years and older, on nutrient-poor, well-drained soils.
Stands that match published BC pine-mushroom habitat: tree species, age, forest zone and soil nutrients where they’re known. The wetter climate matches rank above the dry Interior belt.
Pick your town. These are the pine-mushroom spots Pickable has mapped within about three hours. The app calls each one for this week.
Get told when they turn Go.
Get told when they turn GoCounts are habitat, not a promise of mushrooms. Parks, reserves and land that's mostly off-limits aren't counted. Drive times are estimates.
Nobody has confirmed pine mushrooms in most of these areas, so Pickable shows them as Explore: a scouting trip, not a sure thing. Frost of −3 °C or colder in the last few nights turns an area to Wait.
Pickable doesn't identify mushrooms. Pine mushrooms are white to brown with a spicy, cinnamon-like smell and a veil on the stem. Deadly Amanitas are also white: dig out the whole base and check for a cup. If in doubt, leave it. Never eat a wild mushroom on an app's or a photo's say-so. If someone may have eaten a poisonous mushroom, call BC Drug and Poison Information Centre at 1-800-567-8911, or 911.
Most BC Crown land is open to picking for your own use without a permit. Parks, ecological reserves, reserve land and conservation lands aren't, and private land needs permission. Pickable flags each one on the area's Can I go? card. See Data sources for the official sources.
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