State foraging calendar
Utah Foraging Calendar
Utah's extraordinary landscape diversity, from the alpine forests of the Wasatch Front to the sandstone canyon country of the Colorado Plateau to the sagebrush expanse of the Great Basin, creates foraging opportunities across radically different ecosystems within a compact geography. The piñon-juniper woodlands that cover much of the state's mid-elevation plateau are among the most productive piñon pine nut habitat in North America, and the annual crop has supported Indigenous and settler communities for centuries. The Wasatch Range and Uinta Mountains above Salt Lake City produce boletes and chanterelles in their spruce-fir forests after the summer monsoon, and Gambel oak acorns are abundant on the lower mountain flanks. Note that sego lily, Utah's state flower, is protected from harvest on state lands.
6 bioregions across Utah
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Tap a region to see what's in season
Bioregions of Utah
Foraging seasons shift sharply between Utah's ecoregions. Pick the one nearest you for a 12-month calendar of what is in season.
Great Basin
141 speciesUtah's vast sagebrush and basin ranges with piñon pine nuts in the piñon-juniper woodland, serviceberries and chokecherries along canyon rims and water sources, and rose hips widely distributed across the landscape.
View calendar →Colorado Plateau
141 speciesUtah's canyon country in the south and east with piñon pine nuts, juniper berries, prickly pear, and wolfberry in the mesa and wash habitats, including the San Juan River country and Bears Ears region.
View calendar →Middle Rockies and Wyoming Basin
132 speciesNortheastern Utah's mountain valleys, with post-fire morels, serviceberries, chokecherries, and rose hips across the high country and basins.
View calendar →Southern Rockies
130 speciesEastern Utah's high mountain islands like the La Sal and Abajo ranges, with piñon pine nuts on the lower slopes and boletes and chanterelles in the spruce-fir forest above.
View calendar →Wasatch and Uinta Mountains
114 speciesThe Wasatch Range and Uinta Mountains north of Salt Lake City with Gambel oak acorns on the lower slopes, boletes and chanterelles in the spruce-fir forest above 8,000 feet, and chokecherries and currants along every mountain stream.
View calendar →Mojave Desert
109 speciesThe St. George and Zion area in southwest Utah with barrel cactus fruit, prickly pear, and wolfberries in Utah's warmest and lowest-elevation corner sharing Mojave Desert species.
View calendar →Always confirm any wild edible with multiple sources and an experienced local guide before eating it. Many edible species have toxic look-alikes.