Huckleberries are a prize of the Mountain West states—a plump, purple berry that’s both sweet and tart and can’t be cultivated, so they’re an especially hot commodity when found in the wild. The fruit—larger than blueberries—tend to ripen in mid to late summer, often reaching prime picking season during August and September. You’ll find them growing high in the Rocky Mountains and other moisture-laden mountain areas, especially in Oregon, Idaho, and Montana.
Some intrepid souls like to go foraging for them, but there are plenty of places to taste this purple gold without doing all the footwork. Here are 9 spots in the West where you can take full advantage of the huckleberry’s delectably fruit-frilled season.
The Huckleberry Patch, Hungry Horse, Montana
It’s hard to miss this one-stop-shop for everything huckleberry, situated at the only stoplight in Hungry Horse. Montana’s first huckleberry cannery, the “Patch” cans all its small-batch huckleberry products onsite, including huckleberry preserves, syrup, jelly, and pie filling, while the adjoining bakery serves up mouthwatering huckleberry pie. You can also pick up huckleberry tea, jars of huckleberry daiquiri mix, and bars of huckleberry dark chocolate as souvenirs.
Corner Drug, Driggs, Idaho
An enormous full-service pharmacy that dominates downtown, Corner Drug has been a local fixture since 1906, with a fountain that's just as legendary. Slide onto a stool and step back into nostalgia with one of the fountain’s ice cream sodas or thick, real ice cream milkshakes, which both come in huckleberry flavor. The fountain’s Purple Monster, a huckleberry shake with Oreo in it, is the ultimate reward.
Huckleberry’s, Reno, Nevada
Although you won’t find many (if any) wild huckleberries growing in Nevada, you’ll still be able to sample their deliciousness at Huckleberry’s, a small restaurant chain that got its start in Modesto, California. The eatery itself is Southern-themed, with a cabin-like interior and a menu showcasing popular New Orleans dishes like shrimp po-boys and crab cake benedicts. However, Huckleberry’s namesake treasures are also front-and-center, infusing entrees with a surprising taste of the upper Western states. Choose between huckleberry-topped French toast stuffed with a blend of ricotta and cream cheese or a butter-crisp waffle with a dollop of scratch-made huckleberry fruit topping. Even their omelets come with huckleberry muffins.
Cannery Creamery, North Ogden, Utah
North Ogden’s only handmade ice cream shop also scoops out a rotating selection of light and refreshing Italian ice in flavors like red raspberry, pina colada, and the ever-popular huckleberry. Made with organic sugar cane, natural huckleberry flavor, and natural coloring, it’s the perfect vegan treat on a hot day.
Park Cafe, St. Mary, Montana
"Pie for strength" is the motto at this East Glacier institution, which has grown from its humble 1981 cafe beginnings—adding a grocery, gift store, and gas station so that you can fill up your tank and your belly simultaneously. Huckleberry pie is the cafe’s calling card, with a crust that’s firm but flaky and brimming with berry filling. Order a slice to savor in-house, or a whole pie to-go.
Victor Emporium, Victor, Idaho
Just across the border from Wyoming (and a 25-mile drive northwest from Jackson), the one-of-a-kind Victor Emporium is “Home of the World-Famous Huckleberry Shake,” as painted on its muraled exterior. Travelers stop here in droves to shop for fishing supplies, picnicware, t-shirts, and onesies, but what really draws crowds is the emporium’s old-fashioned soda fountain and ice cream bar, where Idaho’s state fruit gets top billing. The renowned shake is a mix of ice cream from Idaho’s Farr Candy Co. and fresh, locally foraged huckleberries.
Polebridge Mercantile and Bakery, Polebridge, Montana
Montanans will drive miles to reach the seasonal Polebridge Mercantile and Bakery, which churns out hundreds of baked goods, including cookies, cinnamon rolls, and pizzas daily throughout summer. However, it’s the huckleberry bear claws—rich pastries bursting with berries and cut with slices to resemble one of the area’s most iconic wildlife residents—that many of them can’t stop talking about. Dubbing itself the “Grocery of last resort,” the mercantile also stocks everything from new and used books to parachute cord, as well as cold huckleberry soda, good for quenching your thirst after hitting the nearby hiking trails.
Jasper's Cafe, Medford, Oregon
Jasper’s makes good use of the huckleberry on its MOAB burger, a hand-pressed patty (the cafe’s range of meat offerings include elk, boar, or bison) topped with Cajun barbecue pulled pork, jalapeno crisps, cheddar cheese, and a smattering of huckleberry-apple slaw. Pair it with one of their 16 ounce hand-scooped ice cream shakes. While Jasper’s offers more than 20 flavors to choose from, you can’t go wrong with the obvious choice.
Orchestria Palm Court Restaurant, San Jose, California
Bask in the music of ragtime and early jazz emitted from a series of self-playing, early 20th century instruments, including pianos, old jukeboxes, and a violin. With its Tiffany-style lamps and other Art Nouveau embellishments, the entire space of this renovated auto showroom feels like another era, as does its menu. Dine on continental European dishes such as Italian-inspired shrimp puttanesca and a traditional French boeuf bourguignon, accompanied by drinks from the restaurant’s antique fountain. These include cherry sours, apricot ambrosias, and the huckleberry fizz, a tangy and carbonated beverage made with phosphate soda and strawberry ice cream, resulting in a wildly unique flavor. Take note, the restaurant is only open on Friday and Saturday nights.