Huckleberry Season

Huckleberry season around White Salmon starts around the beginning of July when Huckleberry Access becomes accessible.  It is weather dependent, but usually by August is peak huckleberry picking season. The season goes until the first hard freeze in the fall, which is typically the end of September. During the huckleberry season, remember to get your free-use huckleberry picking permit.  You can get your huckleberry picking permit online, and for current information, reach out to the Mt. Adams Ranger Station.

 

How do I get a Huckleberry Free Use Permit?

The online free-use permit is the only way to get a permit. There is no cost for the permit. Complete the online application at https://apps.fs.usda.gov/gp and print the permit and harvest area map to take with you while harvesting. Forest Service offices will not issue these permits, so you must get the permit online prior to harvesting huckleberries.  Bring it with you when you go out to harvest! You are required to have both your permit and Special Forest Products Map while in the forest. Record the date and amount of berries you’ve picked before leaving your picking area.

Huckleberry Picking Tips

You can pick one gallon per day for a maximum of three gallons per calendar year.  Big huckleberries are ripe when the berries are plump, deep purple, and sweet to the taste.  Big huckleberries (the most popular) grow best above 3,500 feet in elevation.   The use of berry rakes to harvest berries is strictly prohibited. The rakes strip the bushes of their leaves and damage branches. This harms the bush and reduces its berry yields for the following year. Huckleberries may be only harvested from areas indicated as open to harvest on the Special Forest Products Map.

Native American Lands

Most huckleberry harvest areas on the Gifford Pinchot National Forest are Native American lands that were ceded through a treaty that reserved tribal hunting, fishing, and gathering rights. The forest recognizes and supports the cultural importance of huckleberries as a food source to native peoples and is working with local tribes and others to ensure a sustainable source of food for the future.

Below is the map area nearest to White Salmon.  Click here to view all of the harvest areas.