- Secrets of the Trade: Discover why commercial harvesters often bring elderly companions and their crucial role.
- Intriguing Aroma: Understand how a mushroom smelling like “red hots and dirty socks” can be a culinary delicacy.
- Hands-on Cooking and Cleaning Demo: Learn from a pro chef how to clean, determine quality, and properly cook and enhance matsutake’s unique flavors, especially in Asian dishes.
- Delicious Sit-Down Meal: Enjoy matsutake prepared three ways, including a hearty Asian dish for lunch.
- Challenging Adventure: A strenuous trek over steep hills, perfect for thrill-seeking mushroom enthusiasts.
- Optimized Foraging: Benefit from our pre-scouted spots for maximum discovery.
- Memorable Moments: Your guide will capture your highlights, so you can relive and share the adventure.
- Stay Energized: Enjoy provided snacks and beverages throughout the hunt.
Matsutake Madness Hunt
Details
$239
4 Hours
Hard
Lots of mushrooms to take home!
Lunch, snacks, coffee, tea, and water
Packwood, WA (~2 hours and 15 minutes from Seattle, WA & Portland, OR). Exact location provided in confirmation email.
-
$239
- 2 Hours
- Easy
- Take mushrooms home!
- Redmond, WA (less than 30 minutes from downtown Seattle). Exact location provided in confirmation email.
$1079.00
3 days/2 nights
Medium/Hard
All meals, Happy Hour, snacks, and wine included
Highlights
Unveil the mystery of matsutake mushrooms!
Dive into the world of matsutake hunting and discover why these elusive mushrooms are the third most expensive in the world.
- Chase Tiny Treasures: Learn why baby matsutakes, buried beneath the forest floor, are ten times more valuable than full-sized ones.
- Master the Search: Train your eyes to spot the subtle signs of these hidden gems.
- Safety First: Distinguish matsutakes from their deadly lookalike, Amanita Smithiana, with expert side-by-side comparisons.
How is This Experience Unique?
What’s Included
- Food & Beverages: Matsutake prepared three ways, including a savory Asian dish for lunch, snacks, hot beverages, and water.
- Foraging Gear: Safety equipment, mushroom bag, knife, gloves, walking stick, and hand warmers.
- Bountiful Harvest: Take home enough matsutakes for hearty meals.
What to Wear & Bring
- Dress for the weather. Hiking boots are required. We strongly suggest a rain jacket, hat, and gloves.
- Bring a small backpack and water bottle.
In your confirmation email, we will send you a full packing list.
Good to Know
- An SUV, AWD, and/or high-clearance vehicle is strongly recommended for navigating the wet and sometimes snowy conditions in the mountains. Consider carpooling with others upon arrival to the rendezvous point in Packwood, WA.
- Leave Fido, cigarettes, drugs, and booze at home – they’re not invited to this shroom party!
- Download offline maps and a GPS tracking app (e.g. Strava, Gaia, AllTrails) beforehand.
- There are restrooms at the rendezvous point, but none during the hunt itself. Bring supplies and plan accordingly!
- This hunt requires strong physical stamina in order to traverse steep hills. This is not suitable for people with mobility concerns.
- Mushrooms love rain, and we do too! Our tours operate light rain or shine.
- Gratuities are not required, but they sure do make our day!
Education vs. Mushroom Quantity
- We’re not politicians, so we can’t guarantee when, where, or how many mushrooms you’ll find. But with a 95% success rate, we’re pretty darn good at stacking the deck in your favor. On these specialized hunts, it is not uncommon for guests to go home with a few pounds, so make room in that freezer!
- If you are looking for a more educational focus (e.g. how to identify different species, environmental variations, and seasons), please consider the Intro to Gourmet Mushroom Foraging + Cooking and Seattle Mushroom Foraging 101 experiences. On our hunts, we are focused on gathering as many mushrooms as we can in a short amount of time.
Private Events / Groups
- We can accommodate up to 16 guests per time slot. Book your private event directly now using the calendar above!
- Interested in a different time slot or date? Have more than 16 guests? Contact Us today and check out our Private Events page.
FAQs
What kind of mushrooms will I find?
This hunt is focused on matsutake mushrooms. You may also find a few chanterelles and lobsters, but in much smaller quantities.
What happens if I don’t find many mushrooms or ones that I like?
Unfortunately, we can’t control Mother Nature, so we aren’t able to offer refunds. In the rare event you don’t find many mushrooms, we’ll still make sure you leave with some goodies to enjoy at home.
Cancellations
What is the cancellation policy?
- We get it, life happens. We offer cancellation insurance for 10% of the ticket price at time of purchase.
What if it rains?
Tours operate rain or shine.
Miscellaneous
How physically demanding is this?
A high level of physical fitness and stamina is recommended to fully enjoy this experience.
You will be on your feet for up to 2.5 hours, hiking up and down steep hills, over and around large fallen logs, and through thick underbrush. You will be crouching down and standing up frequently as you revel in your mushroom finds.
You will be carrying a small backpack with water and snacks along with a mesh bag filled with a growing quantity of mushrooms. We have hiking sticks available, but recommend that you bring a hiking pole if you have one.
We do our best to group guests with similar fitness levels together to ensure that everyone has the best experience possible.
Are restrooms available?
Restrooms are available at the rendezvous point, but not at the location of the hunt itself.
Make sure to take care of business beforehand and bring your own supplies if you need to use the “faciliatrees.” Remember to leave no trace…including TP!
What safety precautions do you employ?
We take physical safety seriously and provide gear and guidance for wayfinding and wildlife management.
At the beginning of the experience, we review safety protocols and expectations. We also provide each guest with a high visibility vest and whistle. Each guide is in communication with one another with long range walkie talkies. We also carry a Garmin inReach Mini 2 for every hunt in case of emergencies.
Every Guide carries a first aid kit, extra snacks, and water.
Please download and practice using a GPS-tracking app like Gaia, AllTrails, or Strava prior to your hunt.
In advance of your trip, please also download offline maps that cover navigating to and from your start and end locations and all of Randle and Packwood, WA. There will be intermittent cell service during your drive to the meet up point and no service once we are at the foraging location.
Please notify caregivers that you will not be reachable.
This experience requires a certain degree of comfort being outdoors navigating in the woods off-trail. Our Guide to guest ratio is a max of 1:8, so feel free to stay extra close to your Guide for added comfort.
How is This Experience Unique?
- Designed for first-time foragers
- Focused on edibility vs. non-edibility. Memorize scientific Latin names later!
- Visit a convenient location within a 30-minute drive of downtown Seattle
- Find tasty mushrooms most people have never even heard of (along with famous ones)
- We pre-scout the location in advance to ensure we bring you to the best spots. No aimless wandering and wasted time!
- In the rare event you don’t find many mushrooms on your own, we will still send you home with goodies to savor.
- “OMG!” Kodak moments so you can share your epic hunt
What’s Included
- All foraging-related supplies (basket, mushroom knife, nitrile gloves, reference book, and hand warmers)
- Mushrooms to bring home >
What to Wear & Bring
- Dress for the weather. We suggest a rain jacket, hat, gloves, and hiking boots (strongly recommended).
- Bring a small backpack and water bottle.
Good to Know!
- Leave Fido, cigarettes, drugs, and booze at home – they’re not invited to this shroom party!
- Go before you go – there are no restrooms at the trailhead.
- Mushrooms love rain, and we do too! Our tours operate light rain or shine.
- Gratuities not required, but they sure do make our day!
Education vs. Mushroom Type/Quantity
- Education is our first priority with this introductory experience. We’ll equip you with all the skills you need to start a new life-long hobby.
- We’re not politicians, so we can’t guarantee when, where, or how many mushrooms you’ll find. But with a 95% success rate, we’re pretty darn good at stacking the deck in your favor.
- Mushrooms come and go with the seasons, so the kinds you’ll find will depend on the time of year. Don’t worry – we’ll show you how to find the good stuff!
- For a bigger haul or a specific type of mushroom, check out our specialized hunts.
Private Events/Groups
- We can accommodate up to 8 guests. Book your private event directly now! [link “now” to the FareHarbor booking link – TBD hasn’t been created yet]
- Interested in a different time slot or date? Have more than 8 guests? Contact us today to discuss your event. [link “contact us” to the Contact Us form page]
FAQs
Guest Testimonials
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$239
- Lowest Price Guarantee
- Trusted operator with 17+ years of experience
- Sells out well in advance. Book now to avoid disappointment!
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