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Royal Gorge / Wet Mountains Foraging Conditions — ForageIQ

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Royal Gorge / Wet Mountains

6,500–9,500 ft · CO🚗 Directions

S

San Isabel NF and Wet Mountains south of Canon City. Ponderosa at lower elevations, mixed conifer above 8,000 ft. Monsoon-driven moisture window. Less explored foraging territory.

Trees:Ponderosa Pine Douglas Fir Aspen

Permit Info →

Updated Aug 27, 4:04 AM MT

AI Conditions Report

AI-generated · verify in field

# Royal Gorge / Wet Mountains – S Tier | August 27, 2026 This region is firing on all cylinders: soil temps are holding steady at 60°F with sustained moisture (0.23–0.25 VWC) across a full week, no drought stress, and adequate recent precipitation (1.15" in 14 days). You've got 39 viable species across the edible and inedible spectrum—bolete families dominating (Bay, Painted, Chicken-Fat), choice edibles like Cauliflower and Lobster, and the full Russula/Amanita/Webcap roster. The moderate desiccation risk is the only brake: afternoon heating can dry topsoil fast at this elevation, so fruiting bodies may abort quickly if conditions flip. Boletes are your safest bet because they fruit deeper and persist longer; avoid hunting high-elevation south-facing slopes where soil dries first. Watch the next 48 hours for any uptick in daytime wind or drop in humidity—either kills the flush prematurely. If calm and cool holds, you're looking at a 5–7 day prime window. **Hot tip:** Hunt north-facing conifer stands and shaded gullies where soil stays coolest; skip the exposed ridges where Amanita and Russula will desiccate before you find them.

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(1)

Royal Gorge Park East Ridge Campground

developed

~7.9 mi from centerFee required/night

⚠ 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

Cauliflower MushroomSparassis crispa

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Hedgehog MushroomHydnum repandum

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

ReishiGanoderma tsugae

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Pink-Tipped CoralRamaria botrytis

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Indigo Milk CapLactarius indigo

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Saffron Milk CapLactarius deliciosus

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Panther CapAmanita pantherina

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Pig's EarsGomphus clavatus

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Bleeding ToothHydnellum peckii

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Gypsy MushroomCortinarius caperatus

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

The PrinceAgaricus augustus

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Bay BoleteImleria badia

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Bitter BoleteTylopilus felleus

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Painted BoleteSuillus spraguei

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Chicken-Fat BoleteSuillus americanus

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Shrimp RussulaRussula xerampelina

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

The SickenerRussula emetica

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Short-Stemmed RussulaRussula brevipes

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Coker's AmanitaAmanita cokeri

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Deadly WebcapCortinarius rubellus

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Bloody WebcapCortinarius sanguineus

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Bleeding AgaricusAgaricus haemorrhoidarius

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Red-Belted ConkFomitopsis pinicola

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Sweet ToothHydnum umbilicatum

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Jelly AntlerCalocera viscosa

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Red CoralRamaria araiospora

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Angel WingsPleurocybella porrigens

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Yellow Fly AgaricAmanita muscaria var. guessowii

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Scaly Wood MushroomAgaricus silvaticus

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Lobster MushroomHypomyces lactifluorum

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Slippery JackSuillus luteus

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Hawks Wing

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Amanita Muscaria

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Banded MottlegillPanaeolus cinctulus

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Yellow-Gilled GymGymnopilus luteofolius

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Common StinkhornPhallus impudicus

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — moisture sustained)

HIGHPrimed

Dune StinkhornPhallus hadriani

All conditions met (soil 60°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.25 VWC, 7d avg 0.23 — 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.