The Great OUTdoors: Seven LGBTQ+ Campgrounds for Summer 2022
Summer adventure season is here with its infinite opportunities for exploration and adventure. From the Grand Canyon and Yosemite to local state parks, rivers and lakes, there is so much to experience. LGBTQ+ outdoor enthusiasts have yet another opportunity — the chance to get into the woods surrounded by members of their community.
Campgrounds focused on the LGBTQ+ community debuted in the early 1980s. Today, by one estimate, there are about 150 such facilities across the country serving various segments of the LGBTQ+ outdoor recreation market.
In celebration of Pride Month, Together Outdoors offers this starter-pack list of seven LGBTQ+ campgrounds across the country. If none of our picks are located near you, do a bit of research. We can almost guarantee there’s a similar camp in your area.
Granite Falls WA
TRC describes itself as “the Northwest’s premier recreational campground that is Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer owned and operated.”
Founded in 1975, this rustic campground is beloved by Seattle’s LGBTQ+ community. Located in the Cascade Mountains' foothills, TRC offers tent and RV camping on 80 acres of beautiful rainforest crisscrossed by hiking trails and streams. This is dry camping, which means you need to bring your own water, and there are no electrical hook-ups at the campsites.
TRC is open from mid-April through the beginning of October. All campers must be at least 21.
Reservations are required.
Owendale, MI
Windover was founded in the 1980s by a group of female friends who wanted to create a safe place for women to gather and enjoy the outdoors. The resort, located in Michigan’s thumb region, offers a range of camping accommodations, from primitive tent sites to RV sites with electrical hook-ups to cabins. The campground has showers and flush toilets.
Windover is a popular site for group outings and hosts numerous event weekends. Popular activities in the area include winery tours, canoeing and kayaking, and wandering the region’s quaint small towns.
Reservations are required, and admittance is limited to women age 18 and older.
Groesbeck, TX
Rainbow Ranch (RR), which encompasses 700 acres of camping and recreation space, claims to be the largest LGBTQ+ campground in Texas. Situated on Lake Limestone about 100 miles south of Dallas, RR has tent and RV campsites as well as cabins. There’s even a house to accommodate your very large party.
According to RR’s owners: “Our campground is a place where LGBTQ+ men and women can relax, enjoy the outdoors, and feel free to be themselves.” Hiking, biking and fishing are popular activities at the ranch.
Like many LGBTQ+ campgrounds, RR hosts several themed “event weekends,” which can get raucous. Those gatherings are held on alternating weekends to allow time for those seeking a more serene outdoor experience.
Blowing Rock, NC
Founders Clay and Perry developed Starlite 20-plus years ago as “a safe space where the LGBTQ+ community can be open and free.”
Located deep in North Carolina, Starlite offers numerous ways to get into nature. The park encompasses a river and lake, where fishing and paddling are popular pastimes. Starlight is close to several popular outdoor destinations, including Grandfather Mountain and the Blue Ridge Parkway. When you’re done adventuring for the day, come mingle with your fellow campers at the Starlight’s lodge or relax by the pool. Starlite Trailer Lodge offers tent sites, RV sites with electric hook-ups and cabins. While the campground is family-friendly and open to all, the owners emphasize that the focus is on adults.
Southwest Maine
Now, this is fun! Camp Camp is a summer camp for LGBTQ+ adults. Yep, just like the sleepaway camps that so many of us attended as kids, complete with shared cabins, bunks, and a dining hall.
The all-inclusive weeklong Camp Camp experience features many traditional camp activities, such as hiking, canoeing, sailing, swimming and pottery-making. Less traditional pastimes offered at Camp Camp include Broadway dance, LGBTQ+ history and figure drawing.
Unlike that camp you attended in the summer after eighth grade, the food at Camp Camp is top-shelf — healthy, locally-sourced, chef-made fare.
Camp Camp averages about 200 attendees per year, both men and women. They claim that 75% of first-timers return for another week of Camp Camp’s unique brand of fun in the sun.
New Milford, PA
Oneida, opened in 1980 and claims to be America’s first LGBTQ+ campground. Set in remote northeastern Pennsylvania, this 100-acre facility offers accommodations for every taste. There are cushy cabins, lodge rooms, tent sites (some primitive others with hook-ups), and a few RV sites.
The Oneida folks are big on socializing. According to their website, “An essential part of a great camping trip is feeling right at home. It is a time for you to connect with those that share your interests, get together with old friends, and make some new ones.” Every weekend has a theme, and the heated pool and dance club are always buzzing with activity.
Oh, one other thing. Clothing is optional at Oneida.
Athens, OH
OK, first things first. What’s that name all about?
It’s an abbreviation for Susan B. Anthony Memorial Unrest Home.
This 151-acre piece of property is operated by a non-profit land trust committed to a variety of missions, including ecological education and fighting racism.
The group hopes to one day establish a resident community of women at SuBAMH. But for now, it’s open to women campers. The property’s tent sites and facilities are primitive. There is no electricity and no water hook-ups. All campers are welcome to use the outdoor kitchen, composting toilet and solar shower.
SuBAMUH has hiking trails that follow ridge tops, wind through heavily wooded areas, and trace creek paths. Horseback riding, boating, swimming can all be enjoyed at facilities near SuBAMUH, including at local state parks.
