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Golden Pacific chanterelles showing forked false gills
Choice edibleintermediate

Pacific Golden Chanterelle

Cantharellus formosus / Western golden chanterelle

The common golden chanterelle of the Pacific Northwest, with blunt, forked false gills and a pinkish tone.

Photo: Tim Sage, CC BY-SA
Compiled by Mushroom Forage Map field deskExpert review pendingContent checked
Identification warning

Rule out false chanterelles and jack-o'-lanterns, which have true blade-like gills.

Season
Late summer to winter
Habitat
Douglas-fir and western hemlock forests of the Pacific Northwest
Underside
Blunt, forked, vein-like ridges running down the stem
Spore evidence
White to pale yellow

Where it grows

Tracked records and known growing zone

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Squares: where people recorded it, brighter where more people did
Verified records
3,522
People who recorded it
1,488
Most records (northern hemisphere)
Sep–Nov
Records span
1980–2026

Research-grade iNaturalist records, snapshot Aug 27, 2026. The growing zone combines areas where different people have repeatedly verified it. Records show where people looked and found it, not current abundance or permission to gather.

Observation season

When field records occur

Choose a hemisphere · All recorded years; not a current forecast.

Choose the hemisphere you want to study. Country detection is approximate and some countries span the equator.

Compare before concluding

Lookalikes to rule out

False chanterelle has thin, crowded, true gills that fork repeatedly and a soft orange cap.

Jack-o'-lanterns grow in clusters from wood and have sharp, true gills.

Woolly chanterelle

toxic

Turbinellus floccosus is a scaly, hollow orange vase that causes gastrointestinal illness.

Identification

The cap is orange-yellow and often wavy, with an inrolled margin when young. Underneath, the blunt ridges fork and cross-connect, and often have a faint pinkish cast. The flesh is solid, pale, and stringy when torn, with a mild fruity smell. It grows singly or scattered from soil, not in dense clusters on wood.

Uses and ecology

This chanterelle partners with Douglas-fir and hemlock and supports a large commercial harvest in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia. Cut rather than rake, and leave small buttons.

Memorable fact

It is the official state mushroom of Oregon.

Sources

Never eat a mushroom from this page alone

Confirm identity using the whole specimen, multiple reputable sources, and a qualified local expert. Identified edible species still require appropriate preparation. Cooking does not make a poisonous mushroom safe.

Safety and poison response
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