Le Bouquetin · Mushrooms
Picking mushrooms in the Vercors
The rules, where you can pick, and what to do if you're unsure.
In the Hauts-Plateaux Nature Reserve
Picking is tolerated for family use, up to 3 litres per person per day, according to the welcome booklet of the Vercors Regional Nature Park.
Prefectoral orders in the Drôme and Isère can set other rules: ask at the town hall or check the prefecture websites.
Public forest or private woodland
In public forests, picking is presumed to be allowed up to 5 litres, unless local rules say otherwise. In private woodland you need the owner's permission. Keep the quantities reasonable (Forestry Code, article R.163-5).
Show your basket to a pharmacist
Only pick what you know perfectly. If in doubt, have your mushrooms checked by a pharmacist or a mycology society, and don't rely on identification apps. Cook mushrooms, never eat them raw, and don't give them to young children.
If you feel unwell after eating mushrooms, call 15 or the poison control centre (sante.fr).
The chalet is in Saint-Julien-en-Vercors, up on the plateau. Around All Saints' Day, the forests change colour: see things to do around the chalet and the All Saints' holiday dates.
How much can you pick in the Hauts-Plateaux Nature Reserve?
3 litres per person per day, for family use (Vercors Park booklet).
Can you pick in a private wood?
Not without the owner's permission (Forestry Code, article R.163-5).
What should I do if I'm unsure?
Have your mushrooms checked by a pharmacist or a mycology society.
What should I do if someone feels unwell?
Call 15 or the poison control centre, and say what was eaten.
A wooden chalet facing the Vercors cliffs.