Organizations creating meaningful spaces for connection, growth, and belonging—especially for communities historically underrepresented in outdoor culture.
The Venture Out Project is a queer-run nonprofit that offers outdoor education, guided trips, and community-building opportunities for LGBTQ+ individuals. Their programs aim to break down barriers to nature by providing welcoming, affirming spaces where people can explore the outdoors safely and confidently. Venture Out’s work not only promotes physical health and wellbeing but also strengthens social connections within the queer community, which is vital for resilience and empowerment.
They aim to create inclusive, affirming outdoor spaces for LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities in the Pacific Northwest. Through events like queer climb nights, hikes, and mountaineering workshops, they offer connection, skill-building, and access to the outdoors in a supportive environment. With a focus on community, care, and representation, they aim to break down barriers and help more people feel welcome and confident outside.
They are dedicated to increasing representation and equity for people of color—especially women, femmes, and non-binary folks—in climbing and outdoor spaces. Through local chapters, mentorship, education, and community events, they create supportive environments where participants can connect, build skills, and feel a true sense of belonging. Their work centers justice, collective care, and meaningful relationships with land, aiming to make climbing culture more inclusive and accessible for all.
Out in the Wild is a queer-led organization dedicated to facilitating wilderness trips and building safe, affirming outdoor spaces for LGBTQ+ people. Their mission centers on creating opportunities for queer individuals to connect with nature while feeling fully seen and supported. Out in the Wild addresses the unique challenges queer adventurers face by fostering community, visibility, and empowerment through shared outdoor experiences.
A diverse, anti-racist, body-liberating outdoor community creating space for people who have long been excluded from the outdoor narrative. Founded by Jenny Bruso, it centers the voices and experiences of fat, BIPOC, queer, trans, disabled, neurodivergent, and other marginalized hikers. Through group hikes, education, partnerships, and advocacy, Unlikely Hikers is reshaping what it means to belong outside—celebrating all bodies, all identities, and all experience levels on the trail.