Mushroom season in Catalonia 2026: where conditions are best right now

This report is renewed every week with rainfall measured by Meteocat's automatic weather stations. After a record-hot, very dry summer, October's rain has changed the season.

The 25 October 2026 data put Ripollès / upper Ter, Northern Berguedà and Garrotxa / Vall d'en Bas at the top for accumulated rain. Montseny and Western Catalonia have had the least.

This is not a map showing confirmed mushroom finds. It is an analysis of conditions that may support mushroom fruiting. Finding mushrooms is never guaranteed.

The sections below explain how the season has gone and what to look at in each area. The table above is today's reading; the text around it is the background.

From a record-hot summer to a very wet October

The summer of 2026 was the hottest ever recorded in Catalonia, according to the Catalan Meteorological Service, ahead of 2003 and 2022.

Much of the territory was dry, with particularly severe rainfall deficits in parts of western and southern Catalonia. More than 80% of the region recorded summer temperature anomalies of at least +3 °C.

Forests therefore entered September after a period of considerable heat and water stress.

On 12 September, researcher Juan Martínez de Aragón from the Forest Science and Technology Centre of Catalonia said mushroom abundance remained very low in much of the country.

Rain at the end of September and, above all, in the first days of October has changed the picture in the east. But fruiting does not follow immediately, and where the water fell all at once, some of it may have run off rather than soaking in.

How the season went up to early October

Garrotxa and Vall d'en Bas: five weeks of steady rain

Garrotxa combines the two things that matter best: a wet September and a very wet start to October. Meteocat recorded 74.8 mm in September and 117.3 mm from 1 to 6 October at Vall d'en Bas, 192.1 mm in all. Olot recorded 80.2 mm in September and 67.7 mm in October.

That is what sets it apart from areas that took a lot of rain at once: soil moisture here has been building for weeks, not from a single episode. It still does not guarantee mushrooms in any particular forest.

Montseny: the wettest massif in early October

In the 7 October report, Montseny was the biggest change since September. In mid-September it was still early; in the first six days of October Meteocat recorded 216.4 mm at Puig Sesolles (1,666 m), 195.3 mm at Viladrau and 128.5 mm at Tagamanent.

Nights at altitude are cool too: the mean minimum at Puig Sesolles in the week to 6 October was 9.8 °C.

The weak point is September: between 42 and 58 mm at the same stations, far less than Garrotxa or the Ripollès. Much of the water fell in very few days, and a downpour is not the same as rain that soaks in slowly. That is why, on 7 October, it ranked second, not first.

Before you go, check the Protecció Civil and Meteocat warnings: after rain this intense, forest tracks may not be in the state you remember.

Ripollès and the upper Ter valley: the most consistent

The Ripollès, top of the report in September, still has one of the best accumulated-rainfall records in the north. Sant Joan de les Abadesses closed September on 114.7 mm and has added 62.0 mm in October; Sant Pau de Segúries has 150.2 mm and Molló-Fabert 110.4 mm since 1 September.

Elevation works in its favour: the mean minimum in the week to 6 October was 10.2 °C at Molló-Fabert and 12.6 °C at Sant Pau de Segúries.

October has been less extreme here than in Montseny or Garrotxa. That is why, on 7 October, it dropped from first place, not because conditions had got worse.

Osona and Collsacabra: now among the favourable areas

Osona moves up a level. Vic has recorded 105.5 mm in September and 81.2 mm in October, and Muntanyola 161.5 mm in all. In the Collsacabra, Cantonigròs collected 74.5 mm in the first six days of October.

It is still uneven between the Vic plain and the higher forests, which start with the advantage. Viladrau is in Osona but is better read alongside Montseny.

Northern Berguedà: a good base, less recent rain

La Quar closed September on 108.8 mm and Castellar de n'Hug on 81.0 mm, two of the best readings in the pre-Pyrenees. October has added about 50 mm, less than further east.

The ground has a good moisture base and nights are cool (an 11.5 °C mean minimum at Castellar de n'Hug in the week to 6 October), but recent rain has been lighter than in Garrotxa or Montseny.

Central and western Pyrenees: dry until early October

The contrast with the eastern Pyrenees is stark. Since 1 September, Puigcerdà has recorded 30.7 mm, Sort 23.4 mm and Vielha 35.5 mm. October's rain fell mostly in the east and along the coast.

There are local exceptions, such as Alinyà in the Alt Urgell with 82.8 mm, but at county level the data does not support calling conditions good. And at altitude it is already freezing: Meteocat recorded sub-zero minimums at Bonaigua (2,262 m) on 8 and 9 October and from 20 to 23 October.

Els Ports: one to watch

The Ebro lands have had some of Catalonia's highest October totals, and the Ports massif too: the Natural Park station (1,056 m) recorded 130.2 mm from 1 to 6 October, after a September of only 22.5 mm.

That is a real change, but it fell on very dry ground in a single episode. In the south the season usually runs later than in the Pyrenees, so, as of 7 October, it was an area to follow rather than one to head for.

Western Catalonia: no rain until early October

While the east has had hundreds of litres, western Catalonia has barely seen rain: 6.6 mm at les Borges Blanques, 10.6 mm at Anglesola and 15.6 mm at la Granadella since 1 September.

On those figures, as of 7 October there was no basis for including it. The mid-October rain has reached it since: see the table above.

Why one rainy day is not enough

Mushrooms do not simply appear the morning after heavy rain. Fruiting depends on a combination of factors:

• soil water availability
• temperature
• humidity
• wind
• elevation
• forest type
• mushroom species
• timing of rainfall

Why we do not publish exact mushroom locations

This guide works at county and broad regional level. It does not provide coordinates for productive forest sites, which helps avoid unnecessary pressure on specific woodland areas.

It is also important to remember that many Catalan forests are privately owned. Landowners retain rights over forest resources, including mushrooms, and signs restricting collection must be respected.

Protected natural areas may also have specific rules. In the Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, for example, mushroom picking is not permitted inside the national park and is only considered in certain peripheral protection zones.

Never eat a mushroom you cannot identify with certainty

Catalonia's official public-health advice is straightforward: only eat mushrooms belonging to species you can identify with complete certainty.

There are no reliable household tricks for deciding whether a wild mushroom is poisonous. Garlic, silver, snails and colour tell you nothing about toxicity.

Some mushroom poisonings can be extremely serious, and the first symptoms may appear many hours later. Anyone who develops symptoms after eating wild mushrooms should seek medical help immediately.

Where are conditions best this week?

Ranking Catalonia by the conditions measured on 25 October 2026: 1. Ripollès / upper Ter, 2. Northern Berguedà, 3. Garrotxa / Vall d'en Bas. Next come Osona / Collsacabra and Cerdanya / Alt Urgell / Pallars / Aran. The least rain: Montseny and Western Catalonia.

CatalunyaInfo updates this guide every week of the season with Meteocat station data.

If the trip into the forest is as much about walking as about foraging, see also when fall colors reach each part of Catalonia.

Once the clocks go back to winter time it gets dark an hour earlier, which cuts the afternoon in the forest short. Check when the clocks change before you plan the trip.

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