The 2026 Arizona Mushroom Society Annual Foray is planned for the August 21-23, 2026 in Alpine, Arizona in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona.
Annual Foray Schedule
FRIDAY – August 21, 2026
9:00 AM – Noon
Friday Morning Group Forays
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Friday Afternoon Group Forays
6:30 PM @ Alpine Community Center
Fungi Social (Free)
Bring your finds, share stories, taste fungi delights prepared by Jess Starwood, shop vendors, and join in informal ID & collection!
SATURDAY – August 22, 2026
9:00 AM – Noon
Saturday Morning Group Forays
9:00 AM – Noon
Workshop - Details TBA
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Workshop - Details TBA
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Saturday Afternoon Group Forays
️5:00 PM @ Foxfire Restaurant
Annual Foray Dinner
7:00 PM @ Alpine Community Center
Keynote Presentation (Free)
SUNDAY – August 23, 2026
☕ 9:00 AM @ Alpine Community Center
Table Talk with Terri Clements (Free)
Casual conversation and Q&A on mushroom identification and classification
1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Sunday Afternoon Group Forays
Presentations, Demos, and Workshops
There are free presentations and demos including the Friday evening happy hour and cooking demo, Saturday evening Keynote Presentation and Sunday morning Table Talk. Other workshops for require registration to attend the event as noted.
We plan to kick-off the Annual Foray Friday evening with a Fungi Social at 6:30 pm for you to get to know your fellow fungi enthusiasts, buy some goods from a variety of vendors, and taste some of the local catch. This event is free to all.
Small Group Mushroom Forays
Group forays are your opportunity to go on a 1-2 mile hike with an Arizona Mushroom Society foray leader to find and identify wild mushrooms. We are planning for small group forays to occur morning and afternoon for all three days of the event (except for Sunday morning which is when we have the Table Talk).
The forays are located throughout the white mountains (See figure below for general foray location - note that they are spread throughout the mountains) and will require driving to meet-up at a pre-identified foray location.
You must register for a foray time-slot and detailed foray meet-up information will be emailed to you the Wednesday before the foray. Please read the description of foray details when registering for more information about the general area of the foray and who will be leading it. Detailed information about where to meet-up with a map will be emailed to you prior to the foray.
You and any guest must be registered to attend forays. You may register up to 3 guests. Anyone attending a foray must be registered except for children. Children under 15 years old can attend without registration, and must be under parental supervision at all times.
Foray participants can only register for one foray between August 21-23. We want to make sure everyone has the opportunity to get to attend a foray. There will be opportunities to sign-up for additional forays on Saturday and Sunday at the event. Additional foray opportunities will be posted on a first come, first service basis at the Alpine Community Center the Friday and Saturday evenings prior to the next days' forays.
After you register for a foray, you will receive a registration confirmation email. Foray meet-up locations will be emailed to registrants by Wednesday, August 19 before the event. No refunds available for cancellations.
The REGISTRATION button on the left side at the top of page is how you register for a group foray. Registration is expected to open in late June 2026.
Saturday Evening Dinner
The Annual Foray Dinner will be served at 5:00 p.m. at the Foxfire Restaurant in Alpine. There will be an option to buy pizza for children. To join us and eat at the dinner, you need to register and pay for the meal ahead of time. More information about the menu and to sign-up for the meal will be posted in June 2026.
Annual Foray T-shirts!
Details TBA.
LODGING OPTIONS
The Arizona Mushroom Society will not be hosting a group campsite this year, however, you can reserve your own campsite near the lake. For more information on Forest Service Luna Lake group campsites, please visit here.
There are a number of small lodges, inns and other lodging options in and around Alpine. There is a comprehensive list of motels, cabins, restaurants, and other local businesses at www.alpinearizona.com.
For those who want slightly more developed facilities than a campsite or a spot for your RV with hook ups, we encourage you to rent a place at the Aspen Lodge! They have a number of accommodations including a bunkhouse for a group, chalets, and small cabins at very affordable prices.
The "Maine" cabin at Aspen Lodge
They also have awesome owners who are eager to learn more about mushrooms since it turns out the lodge is in a prime location for summer fungi.
You can also look for other lodging in the towns of Greer and Alpine, AZ - the heart of the White Mountains. You can find lodging options in Greer here, for Alpine lodging click here. There are several small cabins for rent, but options are limited due to the small size of the town. Another several miles away are the larger communities of Springerville and Eager, which have a larger selection, but may be further from foray locations.
Other nearby options to the west include Pinetop-Lakeside area, which has several blocks of small tourist-oriented restaurants and hotels. If nothing is available in Pinetop-Lakeside, a little farther out you can find more options in Show Low, AZ.
There are also ample camping opportunities! There are a number of developed campgrounds you can camp at throughout the area. Some of the developed campgrounds can be reserved at www.recreation.gov, others are first come, first serve. We will be foraying near developed campgrounds including Hoyer, Winn, Rainbow, Cutthroat, Grayling, Brookchar, and Apache Trout campgrounds. To find out more about the nearby campgrounds and if they are available, go to www.recreation.gov.
Another option is dispersed camping on the national forest. The foray areas and much of the surrounding landscape is part of the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest. You are allowed to camp without a permit on much of the national forest in the area.
Please put your fire pits DEAD-OUT.
FOOD SERVICE OPTIONS
Food service may be limited during the foray weekend. Please come prepared with lunches and snacks during forays because there is no location to buy food for several miles at most foray locations.
Local towns including Alpine, Pinetop-Lakeside, Show Low, and Springerville-Eager have restaurants and grocery stores for purchasing supplies or meal service. Alpine has a small gas station with snacks and gas.
In Alpine, AZ the Foxfire restaurant is a great place to have a meal. They serve continental breakfast. If you are looking for something a little more to start the day, the Bear Wallow Café has an early bird full breakfast.
We are doing a special Saturday night event meal, which you can sign up for in June or July 2025.
VOLUNTEERING
We need help from folks during Saturday to help out with the workshops and room set-up and from those willing to help with sign-in/sign-out responsibilities at small group forays. We love volunteers and are looking for volunteers who would be interested in helping setup and assist at the event. If interested, please contact us at azmushroomsociety@gmail.com.JPG)
VENDORS
KIDS AND PETS
Kids and pets are allowed to attend AMS events, and must be under your supervision at all times. Most forays including walking 1-2 miles on uneven terrain often with downed logs and steep slopes, which is difficult for toddlers and small dogs. Most forays are within the abilities of children 5-6 years old. Very young children will need to be carried, as most forays would not accommodate a stroller or other such mobile device. Children above 15 years old should be registered. Dogs that are friendly and can get over logs in the woods generally do well on forays but must be kept on a leash at all times.
STUDY GUIDE
Are you wondering what fungi you may find on the foray? Check out our iNaturalist project from last year's foray to see all of the fungi that other participants found!
