- Location
- Check-in & Check-out
- Road Conditions
- Parking & Carpooling
- What to Bring
- What Not to Bring
- Weather
- Bug Repellant & Sunscreen Spray
- Photos & Videos
- Cancellations
- Helping Out
- General Activities
- COVID-19 Precautions
Location
The registration confirmation email contains the campground’s location. We will email this information during the week leading to the campout.Check-in & Check-out
Check-in for campers starts at 2:30 PM on Friday, May 19. Setup volunteers (e.g., Busy Bees & Pack Mules) arrive between 11 AM and 12 PM to prepare the campground for the weekend.
Check-out is at 11:00 AM on Monday, May 22. All campers must vacate the campground by this time to allow the teardown & cleanup crews enough time before we check out of the campground.
- Some campsites will be reserved for campers who request closer access to the bathroom or parking area.
- Quiet Ville has no drive-in sites; you must park in the parking lot and carry your gear.
- Due to size restrictions, folks in a drive-in or developed campsite must share it with other campers.
Road Conditions
The last 2 miles are a well-maintained dirt road; however, during the rains, the dirt road can get pretty muddy, particularly in the area where the paved road turns to a dirt road. Be prepared to get your vehicle out of the mud ().
Parking & Carpooling
Parking is very limited! Carpooling is highly encouraged. Use the forum to coordinate rides with other campers.
What to Bring
- Check out this page for information on what to bring.
- Use the forum to coordinate lending/borrowing camping gear with other campers.
- Click here to find where you can rent or purchase gear locally or online.
Visit our Information Hub for more answers to frequently asked questions and other important information.
What Not to Bring
Pets: Please leave your animal friends a home. Only service animals are permitted.
Campers under 18 yrs old: Making QCO a genuinely family-friendly event requires us to have a Family Coordinator and a team of folks who can create a space for children to be entertained and cared for during the campout. We don’t have enough capacity to coordinate this for the May campout, but we will have a Family Coordinator for the September campout!
Weather
According to the , we’re going to have a rainy weekend, and temperatures will be between 64-72° in the day to 51° at night. Please bring clothing for all sorts of weather—rain, heat, and cold. See our recommendations for what else to bring.
Bug Repellant & Sunscreen Spray
Some campers are highly allergic or sensitive to chemicals and sprays. To help us make the campout more accessible, please do not use bug sprays, sunscreen sprays, and other highly-scented items near communal areas. We will have a designated campground area for spraying insect repellant and sunscreen. You may also use these inside of your tent or vehicle.
Photos & Videos
Campers are encouraged to take photos and videos throughout the weekend and invite folks to ask for everyone’s consent to be photographed or recorded. After the campout, we will share a Google Album where folks can upload their photos and videos. This album will only be shared with the Queer Campout community.
Additionally, we will have official camp photographers taking photos and videos during the campout, and we will post some of these photos and videos on our website and our Instagram page. If you do not want to be photographed or recorded for these purposes, please make yourself a “No Photos” button in the Community Pavilion, and wear it at all times.
Cancellations
We have a waitlist of folks wanting to camp! Please let us know if you need to cancel your registration so we may open a spot for another camper.
Helping Out
We ask that folks who come to the campout participate in making it happen. Here are the ways to get involved:
- Volunteer: Work a volunteer shift or lead a volunteer team
- Host an activity
- Bring supplies
- Take recycling back with you
- Donate money or gear
Volunteer
Learn more about volunteering and the teams and role capacities:
Once you’ve received your role assignment(s), visit the Resources for Volunteers page to select your shift(s)
Host an activity
Folks are encouraged to host/organize activities during the weekend. Activities can be anything you want: a talking circle, a game, a play party, a workshop, etc. If you want to organize an activity, please and select that option. The Activities Coordinator will follow up with you.
Bring supplies or take recycling back with you
for bringing water or firewood or take a recycling bag back to the city when you leave the campout.Donate money
Financial donations help us pay for the campground rental, supplies, equipment, website hosting, and other operating expenses. We’ll start collecting donations a couple of weeks before the campout.
As of 2022, we donate $100 per campout to an Indigenous organization in New Mexico. After every campout (and covering operating costs), we give an additional 20%.
Donate gear
We’re in the process of getting a gear library going! Good quality camping gear is expensive, thus inaccessible to some folks—or may not be worth the investment if you only camp a couple of times a year. We happily welcome your donations of new or used camping gear. Please get in touch with us to coordinate.
General Activities
Other than the check-in and check-out times, the campout runs on a loose schedule. These are the activities we traditionally hold at every campout:
- Community Campfires
- Friday Evening Opening Circle
- Saturday Morning Opening Circle
- Saturday Group Hike
- Saturday Night Stargazing
- Sunday Closing Circle
Campers have hosted all sorts of fun games and activities at Queer Campout, from kink workshops and play parties to yoga classes, talking circles, and topless watermelon eating. We encourage campers to let us know in advance if they would like to host an activity at the campout, especially if they require special setup, equipment, or supplies. Of course, you are also welcome to improvise! There will be a write-erase board in the Community Pavilion with the weekend’s schedule, where folks are welcome to add their activities.
COVID-19 Precautions
COVID-19 continues to present a health risk. These are the precautionary measures that will be in effect until further notice:
- Please take a COVID test before you pack your car and start driving to the campground
- Always keep a mask with you and offer to wear a mask if you join a campsite or group to make friends or hang out
- If you are not vaccinated, always wear a mask in group settings
- If you are sick, stay home
- If you have been recently exposed to COVID, stay home
- If you are feeling sick during the campout, please let the on-site medic know
- The medic will supply you with a rapid COVID test and take your temperature
- If your test result is positive, we will ask you to go home
- If your test result is negative, but you are showing two or more COVID-like symptoms* or have a fever (100.4°F or higher), we will ask you to go home
There may be people who are unable to be vaccinated. Please help us practice responsible community engagement by assessing risk and navigating boundaries honestly.
*COVID-19 symptoms (combination of at least two):
- Dry cough
- Shortness of breath or breathing difficulties
- Fever
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- Smell and taste disturbance
- Fatigue
