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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 Jul 13, 4:13 AM MT

AI Conditions Report

AI-generated · verify in field

**Black Hills NF — Tier A Summary** You're looking at a rare convergence: soil temp holding steady at 74°F with a full week of sustained moisture (0.23 VWC average), making this a genuine fruiting window across an unusually broad spectrum of species—oysters, boletes, indigo milk caps, and wood decomposers all viable simultaneously. The 1.2" in the last week has broken any drought stress completely, triggering the full roster. That said, desiccation risk is real and climbing; at 73°F with zero snowline melt feeding groundwater, you're in a pocket of transient moisture that won't last beyond mid-week without another rain event. The limiting factor is simple: time. Focus on ground-fruiting species (oysters, *The Prince*, scaber stalks, birch boletes) in sheltered drainages and north-facing draws where the soil stays coolest and holds moisture longest. Wood decomposers (chaga, reishi, polypores, conks) are your insurance—they're far less time-sensitive, but get on them anyway while conditions favor flush development. **Hot tip:** Hit the north-facing ravines at 5,500–6,500 ft elevation today; that's where soil moisture retention will peak longest before the desiccation window closes in 4–5 days.

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(10)

Bear Gulch

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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

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USFS~4.8 mi from center

Black Hills National Forest

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Castle Peak Campground

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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

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~8 mi from center

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Sheridan Lake South Campground

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USFS~8.4 mi from centerFee required/night

Black Hills National Forest

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Dutchman Campground

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USFS~9.2 mi from centerFee required/night

Black Hills National Forest

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Steamboat Rock Picnic & Tent Camping Area

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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.