Make room for mushrooms this September 26-28 in B.C.’s fertile Robson Valley. 

The Robson Valley Mushroom Festival, spore-headed by longtime Jasperite and recent Robson Valley transplant, Terry Winkler, is returning to Dunster to showcase the magical world of mushrooms. 

Winkler, a retired Jasper National Park warden and perennial community builder, founded the event to fuel his personal curiosity of fungi in the forest. 

“I wanted to better understand the relationship between trees and mushrooms,” Winkler said.

After attending a mushroom festival in Sicamous, B.C., Winkler wanted to bring a similar event to the Robson Valley to share knowledge and spread awareness of the mysterious mycelial network.

“We surveyed mushrooms and berries in the area and compared them to data from 25 years ago.” Winkler said.

In Sicamous, Winkler met forestry expert Tyson Ehlers, inviting him to the Robson Valley to survey the local mushroom environment. Along with Winkler’s and Ehlers’ friendship, the festival began to fruit. 

Now in its second year, the (other) RVMF will run across three days between September 26 and September 28 in Dunster, B.C. The program will host a smorgasbord of exciting events: workshops will teach attendees how to use mushrooms in cooking, remedies and crafts. Forest walks will allow participants to get involved in surveying the area with experts from B.C., Alberta and Montana. And presentations from local speakers, an artisan market and a mushroom-themed gala dinner, prepared by talented chefs, will cap off the weekend. 

Set in the tiny railway town of Dunster, event goers will also have the opportunity to visit the historic Dunster General Store, Dunster Railway Museum and explore the beautiful Robson Valley. 

Data collected from the event will also be stored on the iNaturalist app, helping for future surveying and conservation of fungi in the area.

Tickets start at $15 and are available for individual events and for overnight camping. Discover the festival program, speakers, ticket options and more over at the festival’s website. 

Georgia Ristivojevic // info@thejasperlocal.com

Georgia Ristivojevic is a communications specialist working in Jasper. Catch her on the river in the summer and on the ski slopes in the winter.