5 Foolproof Locations to Find Morel Mushrooms

Morel mushroom season is upon us! Year after year my husband and I find a good haul of Morel mushrooms and we are often asked by our friends, “Where did you find those? We never have any luck!” We certainly don’t want to give away GPS coordinates to our “honey holes”, (because Morel season is so short-lived and we are stingy like that…Don’t judge!), but there are a few locations that we have found to produce Morel’s each year that I thought I would pass along!

1) Creek Banks and Riverbanks

The banks of creeks have always been a great location for us to find Morel’s, as they usually have pretty moist soil on both sides. (Notice I said “moist” and not “soggy”…I never have much luck in soggier areas.) When walking through the woods and we come upon a creek I like to walk alongside it and scan both sides of the bank, several yards out. I almost always find at least a few Morel’s in locations such as this.

While turkey hunting last weekend, I walked upon this nice batch of Morel's, found on both sides of a creek:

2) Dead or Dying Trees

All types of mushrooms tend to grow underneath dying and/or dead, fallen down trees, downed limbs and Morel’s are no different! I always check along both sides of a fallen down tree/log and on all around the base of a dying tree that is still standing. Nine times out of ten, I will find at least one Morel here!

3) Ditches and Edges of Wooded Areas

If you don’t have a spot to look for mushrooms (or even if you do and just want to find more), drive or walk along county roads and look for Morel’s in the ditch along the edge of a wooded area. You don’t have to worry about trespassing on someone’s private property when you are in just the ditch, plus it’s a great spot to find Morel mushrooms!

4) Sycamore Trees

If someone were to ask me why Morel’s like to grow underneath Sycamore trees, I couldn’t give you an honest answer. I honestly don’t know why, but if I had to guess I would say that it may have to do with the way that Sycamore trees discard their bark (notice how the bark peels off and is especially sparse along the top of the tree). If anyone knows, feel free to comment on this post!

5) Cedar Trees

Same as above, I don’t honestly know why Morel’s tend to grow underneath Cedar trees, but they certainly do here where I’m at in South Central Missouri. I would say at least 90% of the Morel’s that we found this season were around the base of a Cedar tree. My best guess in this instance is because the bark shreds and the foliage often falls down below as well, making a great bed for Morel’s to pop up as those are decomposing. (See image

As far as hunting for Morel mushrooms go, I feel the 5 places above are some of the easiest and most foolproof locations to start looking if you are clueless on where to begin. It really isn’t as hard as some folks make it out to be! Happy hunting, and stay tuned for some of my favorite Morel Mushroom recipes, coming soon!

Andrea Rothove is the founder of Huntress View. Give her a follow @andi_rothove on Instagram!