a group of people posing for a photo at queer camp

Queer Camp is the Summer Camp Vacation LGBTQ+ Adults Have Been Craving

As an queer black nomad and outdoor enthusiast, I love helping people connect with nature. I also understand how easy it can be to stay at home in your bubble of safety, where no one will judge you, misgender you, or devalue your lived experiences.

Many RV parks and campgrounds are not focused on being LGBTQ or POC friendly. Or worse, many actively feel unsafe.

This is why it is so important to create LGBTQ friendly outdoor stays and safe spaces for queer folks to connect with both one another and the outdoors. 

Enter queer adult summer camps: a few days spent in the outdoors laughing, loving, and learning alongside other queer people. LGBTQ summer camps strengthen connections within our community, and help LGBTQIA adults foster a love for the outdoors, and advocate for queer inclusion in the outdoor industry.

Whether you’re feeling nostalgic for your summer camp days as a kid, only this time as your authentic self, or you’re looking for a unique LGBTQ friendly vacation idea, queer camp lets you reconnect with nature and find your people. 

Here are five queer adult camps to add to your LGBTQ travel bucket list!

two black women paddling in kayaks on a lake
Photo credit: Unsplash

Queer Camp

Queer Camp is a weeklong summer camp retreat in Santa Fe, New Mexico, hosted at a 156-acre wilderness preserve with eco-camping, adventure trails, and endless starry skies.

Campers can get moving with activities like hiking, spear throwing, and tree climbing. But it’s not all sports. There’s karaoke, crafting, nd a community drag show.

This year, Queer Camp is partnering with local artists to create a goth night and a small art market. 

Queer Camp got its start as an influencer trip, when trans YouTuber Ty Turner organized an outdoor group trip for his fans. From the first year, with twelve attendees, Queer Camp has grown to host more than forty campers in 2025.

What sets this queer camp apart:

  • affordable options
  • Southwest setting
  • trans inclusive

Rave reviews from LGBTQ campers:

“Queer Camp changed my life. I made so many life long friendships and found my chosen family. And it was that new found family that helped give me the strength and support to not only leave my toxic home environment but also to get out of Florida. I now live with my gorgeous wonderful girlfriend (who I also met at camp btw) and I couldn’t be happier. My life went from struggling to take it day by day to loving life and being excited for the future. Ty and Christy have really created something special and I can’t wait to go again this year.” – Carrie

A tattooed queer camper climbs a bouldering wall.
Photo credit: Queer Camp

LGBTQ+ OutdoorFest

LGBTQ Outdoorfest is a four-day adventure retreat for adults.

This annual gathering is held at a different location each year, with activities like hiking, paddling, climbing, campfires, and engaging workshops run by outdoor enthusiasts. This year’s Outdoorfest is in Bellvue, Colorado, a laidback mountain town minutes from downtown Fort Collins.

A few workshops planned for this year’s OutdoorFest are archery, fly fishing, and wildlife photography.  

This event is run by LGBTQ Outdoors, which is a 501c3 nonprofit that works to create a national network of inclusive outdoor adventures. In addition to hosting LGBTQ Outdoorfest, they run local chapters across the country, providing opportunities for inclusive outdoor connection and skill-building.

LGBTQ Outdoors began as an Instagram account in 2019, after founder Justin Yoder recognized the need for a safe place for LGBTQIA+ people to connect with nature.

The first LGBTQ Outdoorfest was held in Texas in 2021. Starting with just 26 people, Outdoorfest has grown significantly.

What sets this queer camp apart:

  • adventure camp
  • outdoor skill-building
  • held at a different location every year
three queer campers at archery range, dressed in puffy vests
Photo credit: Unsplash

Lez Camp

Sapphics, this one is for you!

Lez Camp is an inclusive weekend retreat for queer women, hosted at The District Hotel, an LGBTQ+ hotel and resort in Oklahoma City. 

Queer camp activities include hikes, pool parties, and arts and crafts activities like making friendship bracelets for your new lesbian besties.

This year, the event will include a burlesque show, lube wrestling tournament, and a Twerkology workshop that’s body positive and beginner friendly.

Lez Camp is created to be a beacon of safety, inclusion, and celebration in the conservative state of Oklahoma.

What sets this queer camp apart:

  • For queer women only
  • hotel camp – not super outdoorsy
Sapphic person lying on inflatable unicorn during daytime
Photo credit: Unsplash

Glimmer Camp

Oregon-based Glimmer Camp offers two annual adult queer camp events. First, there’s a spring campout weekend. Then there’s a four-day adult camp retreat in Florence, Oregon, near Eugene.

Glimmer Camp’s facility has different levels of accommodating. You can camp out in a cabin with fellow queers, or self-host in an RV. Shared facilities include a lodge, shower house, and art hut.

Queer campers can take part in over 50 small and large group activities, including traditional summer camp classics like swimming, canoeing, archery, and arts and crafts, to queer-coded activities like tarot readings and a queer prom. 

As a co-created event, campers are encouraged to initiate activities, games, and play such as hikes, book clubs, board games, and yard games. There are also structured events led by activity leaders such as archery, tarot reading, crafts, and fitness classes. 

Glimmer Camp takes its name from “glimmers” in pklyvagal theory, a term coined by social worker and author Deb Dana to refer to small moments of nervous system regulation.

TLDR: The camp wants you to feel grounded, safe, and connected – inside and out!

What sets this queer camp apart:

  • welcomes all LGBTQIA adults
  • mix of guided activities and DIY/self-led activities
  • option to volunteer and save money on registration
Photo credit: Glimmer Camp

Camp Camp

Known as America’s premier summer camp for LGBTQ+ adults, ‘Camp’ Camp has been offering a fun and distinctive vacation for LGBTQ+ folks since 1997. 

Every day campers enjoy arts and crafts such as cooking, ballroom dancing, and needle felting alongside sports and recreation activities like kickball, golf, and archery. As the sun goes down, there are social events such as parties, games, and talent shows as well as campfires, stargazing, and an after-dark pottery studio.  

This annual event in Maine is typically attended by over 200 queer folks of all ages and gender identities, with many even traveling internationally to join the fun.

Traveling solo? Camp Camp is solo traveler friendly – in fact, many campers arrive knowing nobody and quickly find their crew thanks to the friendly leadership.

Camp Camp has grown into a strong community, with a majority of campers returning after their first visit. In 2025, nearly 40% of campers and staff had attended for five years or more.

What sets this queer camp apart:

  • low tech/digital detox
  • all ages, all gender identities welcome
  • scholarships available via campership option
Photo Credit: Camp Camp

Camp Unirondack

Located in New York’s Adirondack Mountains, Camp Unirondack is an LGBTQ-welcoming, but not exclusively LGBTQ+ summer camp.

During the summer Camp Unirondack runs inclusive LGBTQ+ camps for teens, but when those sessions are over, they offer adult summer camp retreats.

This is a laid back, choose your own adventure kind of queer camp for adults. You can take a kayak or canoe out on the lake, go for a hike, enjoy an arts and crafts project, or nap in a hammock. In case you need to work while you’re away, there’s camp-wide WiFi.

While Unirondack isn’t exclusively an LGBTQ summer camp, they do run some affinity programs, like a “peak queerness backpacking” adventure that’s just for queer adults, a men’s weekend, and a women’s weekend.

Sliding scale prices let you choose a budget-friendly, standard or supporter pricing, which helps keep the adventure inclusive.

What sets this queer camp apart:

  • sober, substance-free camp
  • not strictly queer, but queer-led – learn more about what this means to them
  • themed weekends for queer backpacking, gender affinity groups, and creatives

Camp Gnarly

Single? Looking for love? Brooklyn based Camp Gnarly offers a unique twist on camp for New York solo queers aged 25 to 35.

Sign up, complete a questionnaire, and if you’re match with another single queer, you will sign up for a half-day, tech-free excursion to Camp Gnarly’s facility.

What sets this queer camp apart:

  • singles dating event rather than true queer camp
  • urban camp, with transit to/from Brooklyn included
  • only for 25-35s

Know of a queer camp for adults, rather than LGBTQ youth, that should be on this list? Reach out, and I will add it to the list.

Author bio: Koi Reid is an inclusive program manager and conservation field coordinator. As a queer black nomad, they promote diversity and inclusivity in the outdoors industry and entertainment spaces through their media, Queer Vagabond and small business Dread King Locs.

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