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As a 36-year-old, white, biological female, I haven’t dealt with much discrimination on the trail. Though I consider myself a part of the queer community, I blend in pretty well. I present as straight. I’m not very eccentric. And there is a sort of safety in that, really.

During a recent trip to Olympic National Park’s Hoh Rainforest with a group of my queer friends, I begin to notice things听I never had before. “It isn’t always safe out here,” I heard one of my friends say on our climb. I could tell that they meant they were only comfortable because of the size of our group. Alone, when harassment is more likely, things feel different.

That comment made me think. I started to wonder: What resources were there to support and empower queer hikers to stay on the trails, and to educate other recreationists on how to better share them?

Here are six LGBTQ-safe hiking groups specifically created to do just that. Over the last few decades, these organizations have helped thousands of queer hikers explore鈥攁nd heal.

The Venture Out Project

鈥淎s queer and trans folks, we鈥檙e often on the receiving end of help,鈥� said Peter Cohen, the founder of 听, in a previous interview with 国产吃瓜黑料. 鈥淚t鈥檚 really empowering when one of us gets to be the helper.鈥�

Cohen, who came out as trans at age 38, started Venture Out in 2014, driven by a desire to connect folks in the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC spaces to outdoor job opportunities. The organization still remains a launching pad for entrepreneurs, but it also hosts backpacking and wilderness trips for queer and transgender folks and their families.

Venture Out is active mostly along the , but offers day-length events all over the .听You can volunteer to , browse the organization’s job listings, or check out other upcoming events.

Wild Diversity

is a nonprofit organization based in Portland, Oregon on a mission to help BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities connect to nature and each other. The organization equips young people as well as adults, offering summer programs to connect isolated teens to new peer groups.

Some of Wild Diversity’s offerings include:

• Single and multi-day backpacking and camping trips on the West Coast
• Environmental education workshops that teach topics on sustainable living
• Annual BIPOC Youth 国产吃瓜黑料 Media Summer Programs, which focus on documenting nature
• Nine–Week BIPOC & LGBTQ2S+ Youth Summer Camp Program that helps teens develop outdoor skills

Out There 国产吃瓜黑料s

Elyse Rylander spent a decade as an outdoor teacher and guide before she realized that the queer youth she worked were having a very different experience than other kids in her programs. Ultimately, that need for outreach and inclusion felt too great to ignore, so she went on to found听, in 2015. Elyse has chatted with 国产吃瓜黑料 a few times about her passion for helping LGBTQ+ youth who feel ostracized in their current peer groups and environments. “There is this need to connect and to find a community,鈥� she shared.

But that’s not the only way Rylander helps youth get outdoors. From her current role as the director of diversity, equity and inclusion at Rylander runs day-length and short multi-day events for LGTBQ+ youth all over the country.

Queer Mountaineers

is a Washington–and Oregon-based rock– and ice–climbing club for LGBTQ+ folks. The organization has three core goals: to provide opportunities for queer people to connect, to offer technical training and discounts on gear, and to train up LGBTQ+ outdoor industry leaders.

Queer Mountaineers is known for being a hub for activists and artists, and it stands out as an organization that focuses on skill development for everyone鈥攆rom beginners to experts. You can browse Queer Mountaineers’ 听or offer up your expertise by

Gays of National Parks

was introduced to me by Mikah Meyer, an incredible human being whose recent award-winning documentary 听illuminates the reality of what it’s like to to grow up gay, and how intense the internal fight can be over whether or not to be visible in the world. Meyer spent three years visiting all 419 National Parks, driven by a hope that his presence alone would make the outdoor space more inclusive. “There were so many people out there who needed to see an openly gay outdoorsman to help them be that person and enjoy the outdoors,” Meyer shared on the 国产吃瓜黑料 Podcast. “This park’s journey taught me my life’s vocation, which is being that role model that I never saw.”

According to Meyer, Gays of National Parks is a great place to start for other LGBTQ folks who share a love for the outdoors, who want to share their stories, and strive to boost queer visibility. GoNP conducts (and in other countries). What started as an Instagram page has now grown to 20,000-plus queer folks enjoying community, and combating isolation and loneliness by getting outside.

LGBTQ+ Outdoors

is a massive network of inclusive outdoor spaces that all have the same central tenets:听safety, connection, and belonging. The organization has community-based chapters in 23 states and is looking to expand into the other 27. It offers “adventure trips” open to all, like a rep to the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska this summer and a hiking tour through Glacier National Park in Montana.

Check the to find an outing near you. If you don’t see anything close, consider signing up to be an LGBTQ+ . I’ve just applied to start a chapter here in Spokane. The commitment is one year and is mostly community building and advocacy work with the option to act as a guide for simple day trips.

My life hasn’t been easy. Getting outside has brought me so much healing. I want that for others. I want that for my friends. But not everyone is comfortable doing it alone as I have. I’m looking forward to receiving training on how to create community outdoors, so that there is support for all of us to heal and develop outdoor skills.

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It’s only been four months since the federal government laid off 5 percent of the workforce in our national parks and offered to buy out nearly a thousand more employee contracts. The layoffs have sparked fears about crowding and reduced services in parks. But they’ve also triggered a tremendous wave of support: In response to the layoffs, nature lovers on both sides of the political spectrum have rallied to step up for wilderness areas.

Some public lands nonprofits, like the National Park Trust, have reported double to triple the amount of inquiries this year from hikers interested in volunteering to maintain the trails they love to frequent. The regular flood of summer tourists isn’t slowing down, either. Places like the Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Yosemite expect to see that surpass 2024’s record stats.

Traveling to a national park during peak season, especially if it’s your first time, can be overwhelming. Amid all the changes this year, it’s extra important to have your strategies dialed. To better equip you, editors at 国产吃瓜黑料 have rallied to offer their most helpful tips for navigating parks with ease.

Click here to explore the new rules for visiting national parks.

Tips for Navigating Peak Season in National Parks

• Greet everyone you pass on the trail. It might be crowded, and you might get stuck behind a slow party. But a “Hey, howdy. Nice day, ain’t it?” does wonders in reminding folks that we’re all out here for the same reason, and we’re all in it together.
  – Corey Buhay, Interim Managing Editor, 国产吃瓜黑料
• Don鈥檛 be that guy blaring music on the trails鈥攐r in camp. There鈥檚 nothing more annoying than finally lying down in your tent after a long day of hiking and adventuring and hearing everyone else鈥檚 conversations all night. Be respectful of your fellow campers, and their need for shut-eye, and abide by the quiet time rules (usually around 10 pm to 6 am). This goes for turning off music and keeping lights to a minimum.
  – Kathleen Rellihan, Travel and Culture Editor, 国产吃瓜黑料
• Always cut your tent capacity in half for longer stays. For example, if a tent fits six, plan on piling three people in comfortably.
  – Emilee Coblentz, Packages Editor, 国产吃瓜黑料
• Learn to love dawn patrol. Waking up early isn’t easy, but if you can be on-trail before sunrise you’ll beat the crowds, beat the heat, and get the sun’s first rays all to yourself. There’s really no better way to experience a national park鈥攅specially during summertime.
  – Corey Buhay, Interim Managing Editor, 国产吃瓜黑料
• Connect with friends and family before you depart for inspiration. The national parks have been backdrops for stunning photos for years. Check in with friends and family before you head out to see if any of your loved ones have any well loved photos from their time in the parks. You can try to recreate them, or send a postcard back. National Parks are a special place for so many, so let the people in your life know you鈥檙e thinking of them when you visit.
  – Jamie Aranoff, Digital Editor, SKI
• Get on your bike. As national parks get more crowded, a bike is your ticket to escaping the woes of long lines at park entrances, scenic drive traffic, and full trailhead parking lots. This is especially true at Zion, where riding a bike lets you escape the mandatory shuttle ride during peak season. Check ahead to see if the park you鈥檙e visiting has bike lanes, bike lock stations, paved paths, or similar cycling-friendly amenities. Be sure to bring plenty of water, reflective clothing, and a bike lock so you can park your bike if you want to hike or check out an overlook. – Maya Silver, Editor-in-Chief, Climbing
• Plan on purchasing trekking poles for children under 10 no matter the difficulty level of the trails you plan to hike. This added support for kids helps on busy trail days.
  – Emilee Coblentz, Packages Editor, 国产吃瓜黑料
• Go beyond the ‘Gram. You might show up to a national park with a tick list of marquee views, but if it’s a busy day, you might have a way more fun鈥攁nd adventurous鈥攅xperience if you leave the bucket-list spots to the crowds. Pop into a visitor center and ask a ranger for their favorite off-the-beaten-path trail. You’ll probably find a view that rivals anything you’ve seen on the internet鈥攁nd you’ll have it all to yourself.
  – Corey Buhay, Interim Managing Editor, 国产吃瓜黑料
• Keep wet wipes in your pack if exploring with kids. Bathrooms will have lines and sometimes there just isn’t enough time. Plan for pee. Lots of it.
  – Emilee Coblentz, Packages Editor, 国产吃瓜黑料

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