Written by Bee
I visited the South Fork Colorado Visitors Center last week and joined up with a mushroom foray group. We met at 8:00 a.m. and went over the game plan for the day. The group leader let us know where we going and what we were hoping to find. We were going to visit three locations, so we all got in our cars and followed the leader to our first location, Big Meadows Reservoir. We pulled over to the side of the road and fanned out into the forest. When anyone found a mushroom we would call out so those in the vicinity could check out the finds.
We learned a little bit of the anatomy of mushrooms and the different types of caps and stems and how they released their spores. We also learned how to gather ethically by making sure to leave some behind and not just scoop up all the mushrooms and clear out the patch.
The second location was off of Park Creek Road. I had a little less luck here and ended up peeling off from the group at this point. The third location was going to be in Del Norte and instead of following them, I headed back home to Creede.
I wanted to take the class to get tips on gathering, where and when to find certain species and most important of all, which ones are safe to eat! There are many types of mushrooms and many look alike so the safest bet if you’re unsure is not to eat them. I can now go confidently in to the forest and harvest Oyster Mushrooms and Chanterelles for sure, I found a patch on a hike here in Creede last year and I want to go back and see if I can find them again.
They offer a few classes through the summer, next up is an herb gathering class and you can find info through the South Fork Visitor Centers Facebook page. This class was free and they had mushroom hunting guides for sale and many other maps and info available. I live here year round so I never thought of myself as a visitor and had never thought of going in to the visitors center! Lots of info, friendly folks 10/10 would recommend.
Ramble Around 