The purpose of this page is to acquaint you with WyldForest, one of the premiere mushroom foraging education programs in the world, and with me as a certified foray leader / tour guide.
What is WyldForest?
WyldForest is an international foraging organization based in Germany, but it now offers beginner-friendly foraging tours across the U.S. Learn together with small groups of like-minded nature-lovers. Certified local guides will help you discover where the mushrooms are hiding, and how to tell the difference between the choice edibles and beautiful look-alikes that you should leave where you find them!
Meet Your Guide
My name is Larry Short and I am a certified WyldForest tour guide based in the Tacoma, Washington region. I have trained hundreds of beginners and led forays on the southwestern slopes of Mt. Rainier for more than 20 years.
I document my exploits and mushroom recipes on my personal website, https://MushroomObsession.com/.
When and Where Do the Tours Occur?
Washington is known primarily for its Fall mushroom season, typically occurring from September through November, depending on weather. Your foray will be held in a part of the Gifford Pinchot National Forest where mushrooms abound and hobby foragers are encouraged to collect them. The tour area is located a little over an hour’s drive southeast of my hometown of South Hill, less than an hour and a half southeast of the city of Tacoma, and about 2 hours southeast of Seattle. (Specific directions to our basecamp and further instructions will be provided once you register with WyldForest for your tour.)
Typical forays involve from 7-14 people, and occur at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturdays, and 1 p.m. on Fridays. Other dates may be added as needed. There are also special opportunities for companies and other groups to participate together.
Spring tours in this area may also be scheduled beginning in May 2027, so watch this page for more info.
What Do I Need To Do To Participate?
First visit WyldForest’s “Seattle Southeast” page to book a tour.
Once your booking is confirmed, we will send specific instructions about where and when to meet, what to bring, and what to expect.
While you are waiting, we suggest you obtain your Free Use Mushroom Permit from the Gifford Pinchot National Forest. These are free and valid for the calendar year in which you obtain them, but be sure to print out and bring a copy with you.
Also review this blog on my website to acquaint yourself with the kind of mushrooms you can expect to see.
If you have questions at any time, please feel free to reach out to me at LarryShort@gmail.com.
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