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7,000–13,100 ft · NM🚗 Directions
Carson NF in the Sangre de Cristo Range. Spruce-fir at high elevation, mixed conifer and aspen at mid-elevations. Taos area is a known foraging destination. Monsoon triggers king bolete flushes.
Updated Aug 27, 4:07 AM MT
**Sangre de Cristo / Carson NF – Tier A, Late Summer Peak** You're in a rare sweet spot: sustained soil moisture across a full week has unlocked 31 viable species, dominated by boletes, milk caps, corals, and russulas—classic high-elevation late-August flush. Soil temp at 53°F is right at threshold for most species; the real win is the 7/7 days of adequate VWC (0.16–0.20), which broke the monsoon dry spell and triggered fruiting across the board. The limiting factor going forward is desiccation risk—this moisture window won't last forever at this elevation and aspect. Cauliflower and Reishi are marginal (need 55–58°F), so don't waste time hunting those; focus on hedgehogs, indigos, saffrons, bay boletes, and lobsters, which are fully dialed in. Watch the next 3–5 days closely: if afternoon heating and wind return, VWC will tank fast and you'll lose the flush. The high-elevation north-facing drainages (8,000–10,000 ft) will hold moisture longest. **Hot tip:** Hunt the transition zone between remaining snowpatch shadow and open forest floor—soil there stays coolest and wettest longest, concentrating fruit near melt seepage.
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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Carson National Forest
Carson National Forest
Carson National Forest
Carson National Forest
4 sites
Carson NF at Taos Ski Valley road. Spruce-fir at high elevation. Prime bolete zone.
Dispersed camping in the Sangre de Cristos. Multiple forest road options.
Carson National Forest
Carson National Forest
10 sites
Along Taos Canyon Road. Mixed conifer and aspen. Monsoon bolete habitat.
Carson National Forest
Carson National Forest
⚠ 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.
0.38"
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.0.69"
PRISM 4km · thru 08-25
Soil Temp
53°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
soil temp marginal (53°F vs 58°F min, 0/7 days above), today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
soil temp marginal (53°F vs 55°F min, 0/7 days above), today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
All conditions met (soil 53°F, sustained 7/7 days above threshold, today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16)
soil temp marginal (53°F vs 55°F min, 0/7 days above), today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16
soil temp marginal (53°F vs 60°F min, 0/7 days above), today 0.20 VWC, 7d avg 0.16
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.