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700–2,700 ft · AR🚗 Directions
Ozark NF in northwest Arkansas — oak-hickory ridges, Ouachita pine-oak transitions, and limestone hollows. One of the most productive morel regions in the South thanks to elevation gradient and rich limestone soils. Hen-of-the-woods, chicken, and chanterelles all summer/fall. Excellent road access via Highway 7 and 23.
Updated Aug 27, 4:16 AM MT
**S-tier Ozark NF is firing on all cylinders—this is a near-perfect flush window.** Soil temp locked at 78°F, sustained above threshold for a solid week, fresh moisture pulse (0.27 VWC today) layered over decent baseline (0.13 avg), and primordia already activating across the board means you're looking at a 7–10 day window where 80+ species are simultaneously ready to fruit. The only real constraint is the anemic total rainfall (0.31" over two weeks), but that pulse arrived *fresh*, so you're catching the sweet spot before it dries back down. **Tier your search:** Boletes and chanterelles (Frost's, smooth, cinnabar) are your bread-and-butter keepers; oyster and chicken are prolific and forgiving. Toxics (Death Cap, Destroying Angel, Deadly Galerina) will be equally abundant, so ID discipline is non-negotiable. Wood-decays (Turkey Tail, Artist's Conk, Coral Tooth) are nearly guaranteed finds and reward minimal effort. **Watch the next 48 hours closely.** That fresh pulse dries fast in late August heat—if you see soil VWC drop below 0.20 without fresh rain, the flush peaks and retreats hard. No weather trigger pending, so this window closes on evaporation, not drought. Hot tip: Scout north-facing ravines and heavily mulched oak/hickory understory *now*—those microsites retain moisture longest and will keep producing after open forest floors go dormant.
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.
Precip 7d
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Ozark-St. Francis National Forests
Ozark-St. Francis National Forests
⚠ 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.
0.29"
PRISM 4km · thru 08-25
Precip 14d
Observed precipitation from PRISM 4km gridded analysis, sampled at the region centroid through 2026-08-25. Used when no SNOTEL/SCAN station is mapped to this region.0.31"
PRISM 4km · thru 08-25
Soil Temp
78°F
SWE
Snow Water Equivalent — how much water is in the snowpack vs. normal. Declining SWE means snowmelt is adding moisture to the soil.0%
Drought
None
Snowmelt
complete
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
All conditions met (soil 78°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.27 VWC, 7d avg 0.13 — fresh pulse, primordia activating, fruiting ~7-10d out)
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.