Lewis & Clark NF / Little Belts

**Lewis & Clark / Little Belts – Tier A Actuation Window** You're in peak true morel season with textbook conditions: soil just crested 57°F, sustained moisture averaging 0.19 VWC over seven days, and zero drought stress. Oysters are equally viable and often overlooked at elevation—both species are fully triggered. The catch: desiccation risk is *high*, meaning morning moisture windows are narrow and afternoon evaporation will shut down fruiting fast on exposed south aspects. North-facing benches and shaded creek drainages will outperform by a full day's stretch. Two percent of normal snowpack gone cleanly; don't chase the higher elevations looking for lingering snow cover—that's dead water. Stay in the 5,500–7,000 ft band where soil heat is maximal and shade still buffers wind. **Hot tip:** Hunt north aspects and riparian corridors at first light—the desiccation window closes by 10 a.m. once the sun hits.

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.