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New River Gorge Foraging Conditions — ForageIQ

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New River Gorge

800–3,200 ft · WV🚗 Directions

S

New River Gorge National Park and surrounding mixed mesophytic forest. Among the most biologically diverse temperate forests in the world. Tulip poplar, white ash, basswood, hickory, and oak along the gorge rim. Morels fruit early at lower elevations near river bottoms and old agricultural clearings. Warm south-facing slopes flush first.

Trees:Tulip Poplar White Ash Basswood

Updated Jul 13, 4:09 AM MT

AI Conditions Report

AI-generated · verify in field

# New River Gorge – S Tier / Peak Summer Flush You're looking at a textbook sweet spot: 72°F soil temps that have held steady for a full week, consistent volumetric water content (0.28–0.32 VWC), and zero drought stress. This is why everything on the board is live. The Appalachian hardwood mosaic here means you've got parallel fruiting windows across saprophytes (Chicken of the Woods, Wine Caps), mycorrhizal partners (Aspen Boletes, Indigo Milk Caps), and woody decomposers (Turkey Tail, Artist's Conk) all synchronized. No limiting factors—that's rare and it won't last. The only real variable is *what's already pinning* in your specific microtopography. Ravines and north-facing slopes will outpace ridge tops. Watch for the next weather system; even modest rainfall will extend this window by days, but heat spikes above 75°F soil temp will start cycling out the moisture-sensitive species (milk caps, chanterelles) in favor of the heat-tolerant ones (polypores, stinkhorns). **Hot tip:** Hit low-elevation streamside oak and tulip-poplar stands at dawn—Chicken and Wine Caps pin hard in the cooler microclimates before 9 AM, and the moisture there persists longest.

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(7)

American Alpine Club New River Gorge Campground

developed

American Alpine Club~0.8 mi from centerFee required/night

Chestnut Creek Campground

developed

~1 mi from center

Arrowhead Bike Farm Campground

developed

~2.1 mi from center

Ray's Campground

developed

~6.1 mi from center

Brooklyn Campground

developed

~6.6 mi from center

DunGlen Campsite

developed

~8.1 mi from center

Stone Cliff Campground

developed

~9.5 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

Chicken of the Woods

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Black Trumpet

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Wine Cap

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Giant Puffball

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Turkey Tail

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Witch's Butter

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Aspen Bolete

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Indigo Milk Cap

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Crown-Tipped Coral

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Jelly Ear

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dead Man's Fingers

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Parasol Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Shaggy Parasol

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fairy Ring Champignon

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Artist's Conk

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Birch Polypore

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Tinder Fungus

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Bird's Nest Fungus

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Cinnabar Chanterelle

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Berkeley's Polypore

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Red-Capped Scaber Stalk

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Old Man of the Woods

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Frost's Bolete

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Horse Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Mica Cap

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Two-Colored Bolete

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Smooth Chanterelle

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Caesar's Amanita

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Weeping Milk Cap

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Green-Gill Lepiota

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Bitter Bolete

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Green Cracked Russula

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Peppery Milk Cap

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Coker's Amanita

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fool's Mushroom

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Alcohol Inky

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fairy Inkcap

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Yellow-Stainer

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Red-Belted Conk

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Thin-Walled Maze Polypore

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Mossy Maze Polypore

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

False Turkey Tail

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Northern Tooth

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Snow Fungus

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Wood Ear

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Green Elfcup

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Ivory Funnel

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Aspen Oyster

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Wolf's Milk Slime

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dog Vomit Slime Mold

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Fluted Bird's Nest

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

King Alfred's Cakes

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dung Bird's Nest

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Oak Mazegill

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Ovoid-Spore Psilocybe

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Ravenel's Stinkhorn

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Elegant Stinkhorn

All conditions met (soil 72°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.32 VWC, 7d avg 0.28 — 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.