Wild Mushroom 101 Trip – Whistler

Let’s hunt for mushrooms!

This foray will focus on how to identify wild mushrooms specific to Whistlers ecosystem like porcini, matsutake, bears-head, hedgehog and more. Our ever-popular “Wild Mushroom Identification Trips” are easy forest walking trips with expert myco-guides leading you through the forest to identify whatever we find and they book up fast!

Our Whistler foray is so exciting, on past trips we’ve found chanterelle, lobster mushrooms, matsutake, cauliflower mushrooms, milk caps, fat jacks, a ton of different species of wild edible mushrooms.  It’s an exiting day in the forest, a bit like an adult treasure hunt.

Note: The class will study edible wild mushrooms in their habitat and discuss ethical and sustainable harvesting, we may be able to find some mushrooms to take home but we can’t guarantee a harvest as it depends on how many mushrooms are popping up, we want to make sure to be gentle with mother nature.

Where can I learn to harvest matsutake or pine mushrooms?

Matsutake mushrooms can be found in many conifer forests across British Columbia including Whistler, it’s our most expensive mushroom export!  While we can never guarantee that we’ll find any particular mushroom, this trip is your best bet. Our expert guides will teach students about matsutake habitat, when to look and most importantly key identifying features like their aroma and texture.

How long is the mushroom trip and is it good for all ages?

The trip is 3.5 hours.  1 hour is spent with the guide at the start to cover all the mushroom hunting basics and the rest of the time we are walking slowly in the forest, stopping frequently to learn about the local wild mushrooms.  We’ve had all ages enjoy this trip, bring sturdy walking shoes and dress warm and for the weather.  Some of the walking areas can be steep, but we walk very slowly in order to look for mushrooms.

Please note that it is illegal to harvest in BC Parks, so the trip will not be in a park.

Timing: Sat 12:30 to 3:30pm, Sun 10 to 1pm (3 hours)