Mushroom Pass in Mosqueruela: Prices, Limits, Rules

Mosqueruela is a village in the province of Teruel (Aragón), between Maestrazgo and Gúdar-Javalambre. It is surrounded by level pine forests, and almost all of them lie within the municipal coto micológico, a mushroom-picking reserve. Picking there is paid, and the rules are set by the town council ⁴. So you can't just turn up and walk into the forest. Here is everything worth finding out before you travel: which pass to get, where to buy it, how much you can pick and what is forbidden in the coto.

Do you need a pass?

Yes, everyone who picks mushrooms needs a pass, and you can only start picking once you have paid ¹. The pass is personal and cannot be passed on to anyone else. If the wardens or police ask, show it together with your ID (a DNI or equivalent document) ³.

Children under 14 do not have to pay. But they must be in the forest with an adult who has a pass ¹³.

Which pass should a visitor get?

If you don't live in Mosqueruela and don't own property there, choose from the three amateur passes. They are valid from age 14, and the limit is the same for all of them ¹²⁴:

The only difference is how long the pass is valid, so pick the one that fits the length of your trip.

The weekend pass is unclear. The ordinance (the municipal regulation on collecting) simply says “Cuota: 10 euros” ¹. But in the council's online shop the pass “1 Vehículo x 2 Personas x Fin de Semana” costs “€10.00 / día”. From these texts it is impossible to tell whether you pay €10 for the whole weekend or for each day. On top of that, the name in the shop mentions one vehicle and two people, while the ordinance says nothing about this. So read the product description carefully before paying, or check with the council.

Residents and property owners get the amateur pass free of charge, and they can also get commercial passes. The sources give different limits for commercial passes: the ordinance and the 2025 bando say 12 kg a day ¹², while the coto page says 6 kg a day ⁴.

Where to buy it and what to carry

Day passes are sold only on the official website of the Mosqueruela council, with payment by card ²⁴. On the coto page, click the purchase button for non-residents. Outside the season the sales link is disabled ⁴.

You won't be sent a separate form: your picking permit is the bank receipt for the payment. Keep the original with you and leave a copy in the car, in a visible place ⁴. And don't forget your ID, as the pass is not valid without it ²³.

If your plans change, you can cancel the purchase free of charge no later than one day before the picking day. If you cancel on the day itself or later, the money is not refunded ⁴. The opposite can happen too: if there are so many people in the coto that the resource is under threat, the council has the right to suspend the sale of passes itself ¹.

When is the 2026 season?

There are no exact dates for 2026 in public sources. Under the ordinance, the season runs every year from 15 March to 1 December ¹, but the council announces the opening of the coto separately, in a bando. The 2026 bando has not been published on the council's website. What is posted there is the 2025 bando, under which the coto opened on 15 April 2025 ². So before you travel, check the council's website or phone them on (+34) 978 80 70 07. If the purchase link is active, sales are open ⁴.

What is forbidden in the coto?

By buying a pass you agree to the ordinance and to the picking conditions ²³. Many of them concern small details that are easy to overlook.

How to pick. Put mushrooms in a basket that lets air through, such as a wicker one. Plastic bags are forbidden. You must not rake the ground or damage the mycelium. Some species must be cut with a knife: Lactarius deliciosus (locally called robellón), Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus eryngii, Hygrophorus sp., Calocybe gambosa, Morchella sp. and Tricholoma terreum. For Lactarius, the cap must be larger than 2 cm in diameter. Do not touch the closed “eggs” of Amanita caesarea, and take Macrolepiota only with the cap fully open ³.

When and where. Picking is not allowed from sunset to sunrise. Do not enter areas where temporary hunting or construction-work signs are posted. Sleeping in the forest, lighting fires and leaving rubbish are forbidden, as is buying or selling mushrooms in the forest and on forest tracks ³.

Vehicles. You may drive only on permitted roads. Private access roads and leaving the dirt track are prohibited. Park in the marked parking areas, and where there are none, in passing places where the car won't get in anyone's way ³.

The coto map on the council's website was drawn up in 2017, so rely on it only roughly. Some restricted areas may be missing from it, but their boundaries and entrances are marked on the ground ³.

And remember: the pass allows you to pick mushrooms, but it doesn't tell you which ones are safe to eat. For dangerous species, read the section on poisonous mushrooms. If you feel unwell after eating wild mushrooms, call 112.

How to tell whether it's worth going

Check how favourable the weather is for mushrooms right now. The MicoRadar model calculates this from weather data. It is a calculation, not a report that mushrooms are actually in the forest. You can see it for the area on the map, and for the next few days in the weekend forecast.

What to do before you set off

• Check on the council's website or by phone, (+34) 978 80 70 07, whether the coto is open in 2026.
• Buy your pass online by card. If you are taking the weekend pass, check exactly what the €10 is charged for.
• Print the receipt: take the original with you and put a copy in the car in a visible place.
• Bring your DNI or another identity document.
• Put a wicker basket and a knife in the car. Bags won't do.
• Keep track of how much you've picked: more than 6 kg a day is not allowed.

Checked against sources on 14/10/2026.