Outside for All

The outdoors have always been my place of escape and comfort. But for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) and LGBTQ+ individuals, systemic racism and discrimination often makes the wilderness less safe in both perception and reality.

I hope that Outside Made Easy can, in some small part, work to address that historic exclusion and increase equitable access to the outdoors. And I want that to be the case, even if you choose not to travel with or rent equipment from me. Below you can find links to other resources, led directly by BIPOC and LGBTQ individuals. I hope they’re valuable, and excellent starting places for finding a supportive outdoor community.

Is there a group you love that’s missing from the list? Please let me know so I can add it and share with others.

Melanin Base Camp: For BIPOC resources, Melanin Base Camp is a great starting point. It serves as a home base for diversity in outdoor adventure sports, with a goal of inspiring you with weekly content from Black, Latinx, Asian, Indigenous and Queer People of Color who love the outdoors. Their initiative Diversify Outdoors provides a great list of outdoor activists, communities, and organizations committed to making the outdoors a safe and inspiring place for people of color.

Hunters of Color: Hunters of Color (HOC) is focused on creating accessible, equitable opportunities for Black, Indigenous, and All People of Color (BIPOC) in conservation and hunting by dismantling barriers to entry through educational opportunities, mentorship, and providing resources. They’re building a wonderful community focused on increasing access, knowledge, and opportunity for individuals and communities who have historically been excluded from gun ownership, public lands, and hunting experiences. I serve as a mentor for HOC, and happy to work with you directly or connect you with other mentors in your area.

Black-Owned or -Led Outdoors Communities and Businesses

  • Slim Pickins Outfitters: The first Black-owned outdoor gear shop in the U.S., founded by Jahmicah Dawes and located in Stephenville, TX.

  • Outdoor Afro: Outdoor Afro is a national network that celebrates and inspires Black connections and leadership in nature. They have established communities in 42 cities across the country, focused on connecting thousands of people to nature experiences and leading the way for inclusion in outdoor recreation, nature, and conservation.

  • Soul Trak Outdoors: Soul Trak Outdoors is a D.C. based nonprofit organization that connects communities of color to outdoor spaces while also building a coalition of diverse outdoor leaders. They run a variety of programming to serve hands-on, experiential programming.

  • The Black Outdoors: TheBlackOutdoors focuses on increasing awareness of, and participation in, outdoor recreational activities among Black people and other underrepresented groups.

  • Black Girls Trekkin’ (based in LA): Black Girls Trekkin’ is a group for women of color who choose to opt outside. They hope to build a community that will show the world that women of color are a strong and present force in the outdoors.

  • HBCUs Outside: HBCUs Outside want to see more Black faces running trails, climbing mountains, and sitting at outdoor industry boardroom tables. They help HBCU students and alumni enjoy the natural world and become the leaders we need for a healthy planet and a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive outdoor industry.

Latinx-Owned or -Led Outdoor Communities and Businesses

  • LatinxHikers: LatinxHikers is a grassroots initiative dedicated to breaking down barriers in the outdoors by creating access, providing representation, & empowering the Latinx community to establish connections with nature just as their ancestors once had.

Native-Owned or -Led Outdoor Communities and Businesses

  • Native Women’s Wilderness: Created to bring Native women together to share their stories, support each other, and learn from one another as they endeavor to explore and celebrate the wilderness and our native lands.

Asian-Owned or -Led Outdoor Communities and Businesses

  • Outdoor Asian: Focused on creating a community of Asian & Pacific Islanders in the outdoors, with chapters in Colorado, Washington, Vermont, Oregon, and Los Angeles.

LGBTQ-Owned or -Led Outdoor Communities and Businesses

  • Venture Out Project: Venture Out Project leads backpacking and wilderness trips for the queer and transgender community. They also conduct transgender inclusion workshops for educators, adventure professionals, summer camps and more.

  • Out There Adventures: A great youth-focused organization, Out There Adventures is an adventure education organization committed to fostering positive identity development, individual empowerment, and improved quality of life for queer young people through professionally-facilitated experiential education activities.

  • LGBT Outdoors: LGBT Outdoors exists to connect the LGBTQ+ community to the outdoors, with chapters across the country led by LGBTQ+ ambassadors.

  • Queer Nature: Through workshops, classes, and immersion programs, Queer Nature teaches place-based skills such as wilderness and survival skills, ecology, and reconnecting with nature and ancestors through an anti-colonial, pro-indigenous lens. Their goal is to improve the access and sense of belonging in nature for all LGBTQIA+, non-binary, and two-spirit people and allies.

Other Great Resources

  • Unlikely Hikers: Unlikely Hikers is a diverse, anti-racist, body-liberating outdoor community featuring the underrepresented outdoorsperson. Resources include an Instagram community, a nationwide hiking group, and a podcast. Unlikely Hikers is for adventurers who are plus-size & fat, Black, Indigenous, People of Color, queer, trans and non-binary, disabled, neurodivergent and beyond. They focus on exploring and building community at the intersections of each group’s unique experiences.