Get Ready Michigan Morel Season Is Around the Corner

Morel mushrooms are considered among the easiest to find and identify for the novice mushroom hunter.

Break out your hiking boots, grab your mesh bags, and get ready to start hunting-- Michigan's morel season is right around the corner! Here are some tips for a successful season:

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While May is officially morel month in Michigan, prime picking times are usually weather dependent each year.

While northern Michigan, especially the village of Mesick, is called the "Mushroom Capital of the United States," the Michigan DNR says some of the best morel hotspots are actually in southern Michigan. Michigan mushroom hunters are sharing their 2026 morel predictions in Facebook groups, and here’s what they’re saying:

• "Blacks are first in the UP just like in the lower peninsula. Whites pretty much done or peaking by Memorial weekend in southern/ northern lower Michigan...Always remember, Black first. Don't train you eye for whites & miss the blacks!" - Kelly J.

• "I'm in lower Michigan Jackson county and usually the beginning of May is when it is going and after mother's day it's about done" - Jon G.

• "Middle to late May depending on the temperature and rainfall" - Frank A. 

Foraging for morels can be a fun, family-friendly activity for all ages, just make sure you know what to look for and how to identify poisonous "false morels". Follow along with 2026 season with this morel mushroom sightings map. Apparently, Michigan has already had its first sighting in the Middleville area!