Trip Descriptions

Our specialty! Our backpacking trips are for the absolute beginner and the seasoned hiker.  Learn the basic skills of packing, map reading, camp set-up, backcountry cooking, and then sleep under the stars! Swimming is available at our lake & riverside camping.  This trip typically runs from Thursday-Sunday. No experience is necessary.

Each year we explore a new wilderness area of the US, going deeper into the mountains and woods to connect with each other, challenge ourselves, and experience landscapes unreachable by day hiking.  This route will be more strenuous and will feature more elevation change, more mileage, and longer days than our usual backpacking adventures. This trip typically runs from Thursday-Sunday and for those that have previously been on a TVOP trip or are experienced backpackers.

Some of our most popular adventures are focused on creating community for specific identity groups that fall under the LGBTQ+ umbrella, including Women’s groups, Trans & Non-Binary specific groups, BIPOC groups, and Plus-sized groups to name a few. Keep an eye out for these identity-specific tags on any of our adventures!

Not sure if backcountry camping is right for you? Give base camping a try! We’ll summit a mountain during the day and relax at the base with some car camping at night. A true win-win!

Canoe - the faster way to travel. Join us in collaboration with L.L. Bean’s Outdoor Programs as we float down calm waters, camping at primitive sites along the way. This trip is for the absolute beginner OR seasoned canoeist — if you feel like this trip is for you, it is! Paddling instruction, gear, and safety training included, led by certified guides under the American Canoe Association.

In collaboration with Holiday River Rafting Expedition, join us in Utah for a trip down Desolation Canyon — a great place to get a little taste of everything a river trip has to offer. Spend a long weekend trying your hand at an inflatable kayak or stand-up paddleboard, beneath smooth pink and orange sandstone walls. Run exciting rapids through a canyon made of polished black stone (over a billion years old!). Explore side canyons and climb to the rim for the bird’s eye view. Or, just relax!  Kick back on a raft and let the world float by. Rafting trips generally run 3-5 days long.

In collaboration with Pioneer Valley Community Fitness, we’re bringing you a queer-centered, hiking-focused, 4-week Strength and Conditioning workout followed by a hiking and camping trip to test your new hiking legs on the High Peaks.

We will prepare your legs, back, core and lungs to be able to confidently carry you and your backpack all weekend long. You will get to know other trip participants while learning how to squat, lunge, deadlift and carry with proper technique under the guidance of a professional, experienced, queer coach. No fitness or lifting experience is required, we love beginners. All are welcome who feel like this is the right space for them! No PVCF membership is required.

For folks who feel good when they do good! The TVOP crew will work on rehabbing trails and basic maintenance, including laying logs, trail building, planting drainage-assisting plants, and more. Not two trips are ever alike — all projects are subject to change based on the trail’s need! Trail Work days are typically 6-8hrs long, with mornings and evenings dedicated to group bonding and free time. Each trip also features a ‘off day’, which is most commonly spent hiking together and exploring the park as guests.

Designed specifically for queer youth, these are trips of a lifetime!

Youth Backpacking — This is just like our traditional Queer Backpacking, but with our youth in mind. Youth will challenge themselves, develop resiliency and confidence navigating different terrains, and connect with our LGBTQ+ folks their age. The trip is led by youth educators.

Canoe Camping — On a Canoe Camping trip, youth can expect to learn how to paddle both individually and in teams, set up a campsite, prepare backcountry meals, and much more! Leadership, community building, and fun are the core of this trip. The trip is led by youth educators.

Join Tam (they/them) of Toadstool Walks on a Forest Therapy Experience where we will weave together our connections with the more-than-human world, each other and ourselves. Forest Therapy is a heart centered approach to tending relationships in a way that supports cultural repair, health and healing for all beings. This is a restorative sensory guided exploration of our inner and outer landscape rooted in reciprocity and open to interpretation. There will be time to explore and just be on your own and also the chance to share in the collaborative circle.

Our LGBTQ+ Family Campout is a great way to meet other families like yours, make friends, share stories, and have some good old-fashioned fun!

We define an LGBTQ+ Family as a family where any member of the family (adult or child) identifies as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, pansexual, trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming, or more. This weekend is for any and all members of your family - kids, parents, grandparents, caregivers. 

This will be a weekend of fun, swimming, hiking, endless play, grilling, connecting to other families, sleeping under the stars, s'mores, and so much more!

This trip is for the seasoned snow rider and also the absolute beginner. During the day we will ski & snowboard, returning at night to our luxury mountain cabin minutes away from the resort. There we’ll play games, laugh, share abundant meals, and relax in the warmth of community. Rentals and/or lessons not included in the price of the trip. 

A weekend getaway, we’ll trek our gear into a remote cabin equipped with bunks, mattresses, a kitchen, and tables — everything we need for a few cozy nights on the side of a wintery mountain! (Yes, the cabins are usually heated!)

Unwind and unplug with other LGBTQ folks, share family-style meals, play games, and relax post skiing/snowboarding.

Thursday Night Hikes are a long-standing Western Massachusetts classic. These hikes are all about finding community and relaxing in nature with other queer folks! They are a low-stakes, low-stress way to meet new people while enjoying summer outside.

Hikes range from 1.5 to 3 miles and are generally within a 30- to 40-minute radius of the Northampton/Amherst area. Join us each summer for some of our favorite hikes in the Valley!

Monday Night Hikes are bi-weekly adventures in Northern Michigan. These hikes are all about finding community and relaxing in nature with other queer folks! They are a low-stakes, low-stress way to meet new people while enjoying summer outside.

Hikes range from 1.5 to 3 miles and are generally within a 30- to 40-minute radius of the Traverse City area. Join us each summer for some of our favorite hikes in Northern Michigan!

Back by popular demand! Are you an avid photographer? Or just looking to catch that next great outdoor shot on your iPhone? This class has something for you! You'll go outside with photographer Nikki Smith (www.pullphotography.com) to begin to learn how to see the world differently. What makes a great photo? What types of angles and vantage points lead to that coveted shot? From camera phones to DSLR's, join us and photographer Nikki Smith in a stellar collaboration with Marmot to learn the basics of composition, tips, and tricks to strengthen and improve your photos and how to make your friends look like heroes. Nikki's photo seminar is open to everyone regardless of their camera.

Our LGBTQ+ Family events are a great way to meet other families like yours, make friends, share stories, and have some good old-fashioned fun! Join TVOP’s founder, Perry, for a day on the mountain.

We define an LGBTQ+ Family as a family where any member of the family (adult or child) identifies as lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, pansexual, trans, non-binary, gender non-conforming, or more. This weekend is for any and all members of your family - kids, parents, grandparents, care-givers.

Have you always wanted to learn how to Nordic (Cross Country) Ski but didn’t know where to start? Let our experienced Nordic Ski Instructor get you started! Learn the basics while being in queer community.

New to winter trekking? This is the perfect opportunity for you to try out winter trekking equipment - snowshoes, spikes, winter hiking poles (depending on snow conditions) included! Led by one of our experienced instructors.

The ‘white hare’ of our winter day events, if you see an ice skating date pop up in your area, jump on it before it’s gone! Here we’ll practice the fundamentals of skating safely and enjoy queer company on the rink. Skate rental fees are not typically included in event costs.