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It’s Huckleberry Season, But Don’t Ask A Picker Where To Find Them

Throngs of huckleberry hunters are out as the season for picking the wild-growing fruit is hitting its peak in Wyoming. But don’t you dare ask a picker where to find them, as they protect their prime patches the way anglers do a favorite fishing hole.

AJ
Anna-Louise Jackson

July 20, 20255 min read

On a recent outing in Mount Spokane State Park, northeast of the city in Washington state, Jon Gelder and his wife, Heather, found bountiful berry bushes.
On a recent outing in Mount Spokane State Park, northeast of the city in Washington state, Jon Gelder and his wife, Heather, found bountiful berry bushes. (Courtesy Jon Gelder)

They’re wanted, and have been spotted this summer in the Tetons, across western Montana and throughout Idaho. 

Huckleberry hunters are out in force after the sweet-tart fruit that tastes like a cross between a cranberry and blueberry.

While some berry pickers are eager to share their huckleberry hauls on social media, others treat are hush-hush about where they found their summertime stashes.

It’s the same way people closely guard their favorite fishing holes, where they’ve found plentiful powder when backcountry skiing, or where they forage for morel mushrooms, said Abby Warner, executive director of the Jackson Hole Nordic Alliance.

“People seem to be secretive about anything that has resource constraints,” Warner said.

That said, the Jackson Hole Nordic Alliance reports they can generally be found in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks, as well as on both sides of Teton Pass.

‘None-ya’ Business

As someone who is relatively new to the picking scene, Warner said she’s had to learn from those on the inside about what topics are ripe for berry banter. 

“It is a funny thing interacting with people who can be very furtive,” she said about how seriously some huckleberry hunters can be.

On social media, a simple query about where to find huckleberries can be a minefield of sorts. 

A Reddit user asked this question on the Idaho subreddit and was met with answers like: “This gets into ‘none-ya’ business for locals.”

Pity the hospitable huck picker willing to share where the prime patches are.

To share or not to share picking locations may be a question, but the answer of where to find huckleberries around Jackson Hole isn’t much of a mystery, Warner said.

The berries are plentiful in the Tetons.

“There are berry bushes on a lot of trails,” Warner said. 

  • Jon Gelder holds the fruits of his recent picking labors. He said he's heard that fresh huckleberries are selling for as much as $100 per gallon.
    Jon Gelder holds the fruits of his recent picking labors. He said he's heard that fresh huckleberries are selling for as much as $100 per gallon. (Courtesy Jon Gelder)
  • On a recent outing in Mount Spokane State Park, northeast of the city in Washington state, Jon Gelder and his wife, Heather, found bountiful berry bushes.
    On a recent outing in Mount Spokane State Park, northeast of the city in Washington state, Jon Gelder and his wife, Heather, found bountiful berry bushes. (Courtesy Jon Gelder)
  • Huckleberry hounds are reporting the wild berries are now ripe in Wyoming's Tetons, along with parts of Montana, Idaho and Washington.
    Huckleberry hounds are reporting the wild berries are now ripe in Wyoming's Tetons, along with parts of Montana, Idaho and Washington. (Courtesy Jon Gelder)

Picking Prowess

That means there are berries aplenty for Warner, who said she’s “not so dedicated” as other people she knows and is satisfied if she can get enough hucks to throw in some pancakes or other baked goods. 

But Warner does have enough prowess in the patches to talk about “the art of the bucket” — or what makes for a good picking vessel. 

She prefers a medium-sized yogurt container with a string cinched around it, which allows her to hang the bucket around her neck while picking and to keep the lid on when walking.

Big Business

What’s an experience for some is big business for others.

Pickers might price a gallon of fresh hucks for upward of $100 at farmers markets or online. 

A thriving commercial market is supplied by throngs of pickers who descend on forests each summer in search of the wild berries. 

Still, it’s not other pickers that threaten huckleberry hounds the most. 

Bears are the most formidable competition for finding huckleberries, said Jon Gelder, the chief creative officer at Orca Killer Creative in Spokane, Washington. “I’ve never felt like I was deprived of berries.”

Gelder and his wife found some plentiful patches in Mount Spokane State Park last weekend. 

He shared his love for huckleberry picking, along with the fruits of his labor on LinkedIn, purple hands and all.

Finding The Fruit

With more than enough berries to go around, Gelder said he’s happy to point newbies in a general direction. 

“I would have no problem saying, ‘Go up to this trail and park and just walk around,’” Gelder said. “I think where people get protective is when they know a spot they mapped out themselves.”

Much of the trick to finding huckleberries is, well, finding them. They only grow in the wild and in specific locations.

Good luck finding huckleberries near Brooks Lake Lodge in Dubois, Wyoming, which is less than 50 miles from Grand Teton National Park, where huckleberries are abundant.

In his seven years working at the lodge and hunting all over the area, Jared Nichols has yet to see a single huckleberry. 

If a guest were looking for the sometimes-elusive berry, the maintenance manager and guide would have a simple suggestion: “Go try on the other side of the Continental Divide.”

Even if guests may not have luck finding berries while out on guided excursions, Nichols said the lodge has found a popular substitute: a huckleberry margarita.

  • A 2-year-old black bear cub climbed a birch tree to get to a bush full of huckleberries.
    A 2-year-old black bear cub climbed a birch tree to get to a bush full of huckleberries. (Getty Images)
  • For Abby Warner, one perk of summertime huckleberry picking is pulling a jar of frozen berries from the freezer in the winter to toss in some baked goods, like pancakes or muffins.
    For Abby Warner, one perk of summertime huckleberry picking is pulling a jar of frozen berries from the freezer in the winter to toss in some baked goods, like pancakes or muffins. (Courtesy Jon Gelder)
  • For Abby Warner, one perk of summertime huckleberry picking is pulling a jar of frozen berries from the freezer in the winter to toss in some baked goods, like pancakes or muffins.
    For Abby Warner, one perk of summertime huckleberry picking is pulling a jar of frozen berries from the freezer in the winter to toss in some baked goods, like pancakes or muffins. (Courtesy Jon Gelder)
  • For Abby Warner, one perk of summertime huckleberry picking is pulling a jar of frozen berries from the freezer in the winter to toss in some baked goods, like pancakes or muffins.
    For Abby Warner, one perk of summertime huckleberry picking is pulling a jar of frozen berries from the freezer in the winter to toss in some baked goods, like pancakes or muffins. (Courtesy Jon Gelder)
  • For Abby Warner, one perk of summertime huckleberry picking is pulling a jar of frozen berries from the freezer in the winter to toss in some baked goods, like pancakes or muffins.
    For Abby Warner, one perk of summertime huckleberry picking is pulling a jar of frozen berries from the freezer in the winter to toss in some baked goods, like pancakes or muffins. (Courtesy Jon Gelder)
  • For Abby Warner, one perk of summertime huckleberry picking is pulling a jar of frozen berries from the freezer in the winter to toss in some baked goods, like pancakes or muffins.
    For Abby Warner, one perk of summertime huckleberry picking is pulling a jar of frozen berries from the freezer in the winter to toss in some baked goods, like pancakes or muffins. (Courtesy Jon Gelder)

Bringing Home The Berries

That’s one way to quench a thirst for huckleberries, but picking season is about more than bringing home a bunch of berries for Warner and Gelder.

Instead, it’s an opportunity to be out in nature with loved ones enjoying the sights, sounds and smells. 

Pulling a jar of frozen huckleberries in the wintertime is a great reminder of that summer pastime, said Warner.

Gelder said he enjoys the entire ritual, from heading out into the woods with a packed lunch to coming home to clean the berries in his huckleberry-infused home.

A ‘Good’ Year For Hucks

This year should bring lots of those beautiful berry smells for huckleberry fans.

Just the other day, Warner heard from her “primary huckleberry friend” after a trip in the Tetons, who reported that the bushes were bursting with berries and that this year seemed ripe for the picking.

Like Warner, Gelder has some good news for people who haven’t gotten their hands purple this summer.

He spotted plenty of green huckleberries at higher elevations than he was picking last weekend, which makes him optimistic he could embark on more picking parties through September.

“I love everything about it,” Gelder said. “I really like this time of year.”

 

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Anna-Louise Jackson

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