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Absaroka / Shoshone NF Foraging Conditions — ForageIQ

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Absaroka / Shoshone NF

6,000–12,500 ft · WY🚗 Directions

A

Shoshone NF west of Cody. Volcanic-origin Absaroka Range. Spruce-fir with whitebark pine. Good king bolete and morel habitat. Gateway to Yellowstone backcountry.

Trees:Engelmann Spruce Subalpine Fir Lodgepole Pine

Permit Info →

Updated Aug 27, 4:06 AM MT

AI Conditions Report

AI-generated · verify in field

**Absaroka/Shoshone at Tier A: A Full Flush Window** You're in a rare sweet spot—soil temp holding steady at 59°F with seven consecutive days of above-threshold moisture, and the recent 1.31" over two weeks has saturated the substrate without waterlogging. Every major species across your elevation band is lighting up simultaneously: boletes (bay, birch, painted), milk caps (indigo, saffron, woolly), coralline forms (pink-tipped, red coral), and choice edibles like cauliflower, hedgehog, and lobster. This is a coordinated flush event, not a staggered emergence. The hard constraint is desiccation risk—you're at zero snowpack at full melt, and late August means diurnal swings that'll dry the litter layer fast. You have 48–72 hours of peak fruiting window before soil moisture dips below trigger threshold. The limiting factor isn't cold or saturation; it's the clock ticking on evaporation at altitude. Watch the forecast obsessively. Any clearing trend (already looking clear) or wind spike will accelerate drying and collapse your harvest window. Conversely, any afternoon thunderstorm extends the flush another cycle. Hot tip: Hit higher elevations (9,500–11,000 ft, north aspects) first—they'll hold moisture longer as the day warms—then drop elevation as afternoon dries onset.

Generated by Claude (Anthropic) from the structured weather, soil, and phenology data on this page. The LLM can misread edge cases — treat this as a starting hypothesis, not a guarantee. Always verify conditions on the ground before committing to a long drive.

Foraging Potential75/100

✅Moisture

✅Soil Temp

✅No Freeze

✅No Drought

Precip 7d

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Nearby Camping

Within(8)

Eagle Creek

developed

USFS6,200 ft~5.2 mi from center$15/night

20 sites

North Fork Shoshone corridor. Douglas fir and spruce habitat.

vault toiletfire ring

Open Jun–Sep

Wapiti

developed

USFS5,900 ft~9.2 mi from center$18/night

41 sites

Shoshone NF along US-14/16/20 west of Cody. Mixed conifer. Bear country protocols.

vault toiletwaterfire ringpicnic table

Open May–SepReserve →

CLEARWATER CAMPGROUND

developed

USFS~9.6 mi from center

Little Sunlight Camping Area

dispersed

USFS~9.7 mi from centerFee required/night

Shoshone National Forest

Clearwater Campground

developed

USFS~9.8 mi from centerFee required/night

Shoshone National Forest

Clearwater Group Site

developed

USFS~9.8 mi from centerFee required/night

Shoshone National Forest

WAPITI CAMPGROUND

developed

USFS~10 mi from center

Shoshone National Forest

REX HALE

developed

USFS~10 mi from center

⚠ Road Access Notice

Always verify road access is public before following GPS directions to mountain areas. Many forest roads are seasonal, gated, or require 4WD. Dispersed camping follows USFS/BLM rules (typically 14-day limit). Check ranger district offices for current road and campground conditions.

Viable Species

Confidence × Primordia state

HIGHPrimed

Cauliflower MushroomSparassis crispa

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Hedgehog MushroomHydnum repandum

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

ReishiGanoderma tsugae

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Pink-Tipped CoralRamaria botrytis

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Indigo Milk CapLactarius indigo

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Saffron Milk CapLactarius deliciosus

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

ChagaInonotus obliquus

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Panther CapAmanita pantherina

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Birch BoleteLeccinum scabrum

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Pig's EarsGomphus clavatus

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Birch PolyporeFomitopsis betulina

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Bleeding ToothHydnellum peckii

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Red-Capped Scaber StalkLeccinum aurantiacum

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Gypsy MushroomCortinarius caperatus

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

The PrinceAgaricus augustus

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Bay BoleteImleria badia

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Bitter BoleteTylopilus felleus

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Painted BoleteSuillus spraguei

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Chicken-Fat BoleteSuillus americanus

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Shrimp RussulaRussula xerampelina

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

The SickenerRussula emetica

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Short-Stemmed RussulaRussula brevipes

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Woolly Milk CapLactarius torminosus

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Coker's AmanitaAmanita cokeri

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Deadly WebcapCortinarius rubellus

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Bloody WebcapCortinarius sanguineus

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Bleeding AgaricusAgaricus haemorrhoidarius

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Red-Belted ConkFomitopsis pinicola

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Sweet ToothHydnum umbilicatum

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Jelly AntlerCalocera viscosa

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Red CoralRamaria araiospora

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Brown Roll-RimPaxillus involutus

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Angel WingsPleurocybella porrigens

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Yellow Fly AgaricAmanita muscaria var. guessowii

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Scaly Wood MushroomAgaricus silvaticus

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Amethyst DeceiverLaccaria amethystina

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Lobster MushroomHypomyces lactifluorum

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Slippery JackSuillus luteus

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Hawks Wing

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Amanita Muscaria

All conditions met (soil 59°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.22 VWC, 7d avg 0.21 — moisture sustained)

Primordia readiness: Cold = mycelium dormant. Activating = soil warming, primordia building. Primed = 5+ sustained warm days at species threshold; fruiting imminent if moisture cooperates. Based on Schmidt 1983 / Mihail 2007.