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Black Hills NF Foraging Conditions — ForageIQ

Black Hills NF

Legendary Black Hills ponderosa pine and white spruce. Well-known burn morel country — fires from the past 1-3 years (Cement, Jasper, Battle Creek) consistently produce. Aspen pockets and creek bottoms also hold yellow morels. Higher elevations extend the season into June.

Trees:Ponderosa Pine White Spruce Aspen

Permit Info →

Updated Aug 27, 4:16 AM MT

AI Conditions Report

AI-generated · verify in field

**Black Hills NF – S Tier | August 27, 2026** This is a rare flush window: seven days of sustained soil temps at/above fruiting threshold, solid 3-week precipitation accumulation (3.17"), and zero drought stress have triggered a full-spectrum flush. You're looking at 47 viable species across all guilds—edibles, medicinals, and toxics fruiting simultaneously. The boletes are your bread-and-butter (bay, painted, chicken-fat), but lobster mushrooms, hedgehogs, and the milk caps are running hot. No limiting factors means this conditions window will close when soil temps drop or precipitation gaps appear; capitalize now. Watch the forecast for temperature swings below 55°F or a dry spell beyond 3–4 days—either will collapse the flush. The 0.22 volumetric water content is solid but not excessive, so even moderate drying will shut it down fast. **Hot tip:** Head to Ponderosa pine stands on south-facing slopes—slippery jacks and hawks wing will be at peak firmness and won't be slime-bombed by late-season rains yet.

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 Potential95/100

✅Moisture

✅Soil Temp

✅No Freeze

✅No Drought

Precip 7d

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Nearby Camping

Within(10)

Bear Gulch

developed

Concessionaire~4.1 mi from centerFee required/night

Bear Gulch (Group Site)

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USFS~4.1 mi from centerFee required/night

Black Hills National Forest

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Pactola Campground

developed

USFS~4.8 mi from center

Black Hills National Forest

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Castle Peak Campground

developed

USFS~6.6 mi from centerFee required/night

Black Hills National Forest

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Sheridan Lake North Cove (Group Sites) Campground

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USFS~7.8 mi from center

Black Hills National Forest

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Three Forks Campground

developed

~8 mi from center

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Sheridan Lake South Campground

developed

USFS~8.4 mi from centerFee required/night

Black Hills National Forest

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Dutchman Campground

developed

USFS~9.2 mi from centerFee required/night

Black Hills National Forest

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Steamboat Rock Picnic & Tent Camping Area

developed

USFS~9.9 mi from centerFee required/night

9 sites

Custer Trail - USFS

developed

USFS~10 mi from center

16 sites

water

⚠ 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.