At Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Queer Hike Club SFL gathered for a fall weekend defined by fireside songs and collective movement. Fog and dew clung to the trails at sunrise before giving way to sunshine filtering through the trees, as hikers, campers, and paddlers arrived ready to share the land together.
Queer Hike Club SFL is a volunteer-run collective based in northern Palm Beach County creating intentional outdoor spaces for queer, trans, nonbinary, and sapphic people. Founded this summer, the group organizes hikes, camping trips, paddles, meditation hikes, night hikes, and social outings that center collective safety, shared leadership, and confidence in the outdoors — inviting participants not just to be present in nature, but to actively reclaim it together.
For many queer, trans, and nonbinary people, shared outdoor facilities — restrooms, campsites, and close proximity to the general public — can require heightened awareness. Showing up together shifts that dynamic. Moving as a group on trails, at campsites, and on the water allows participants to focus less on vigilance and more on presence, connection, and feeling at home in the landscape.
The club was started by Caro Van Doe, who created the group after moving back to South Florida and struggling to find community. Van Doe grew up camping locally and spending time outdoors near what is now Riverbend Park. Returning as an adult, they noticed a gap between the land they knew and the kinds of queer, pronoun-respectful spaces available to experience it. Rather than waiting for that space to appear, Van Doe decided to build one.
“I just wanted to do something,” they said. “I wanted to make friends and try to create community with other queer people who live here and need it.”
Van Doe launched an Instagram page and planned a first hike with modest expectations. More than 15 people showed up. Since then, the group has expanded, drawing participants not only from Palm Beach and Martin counties, but also from Broward and Miami-Dade — many traveling north to find queer-centered outdoor community.
What distinguishes Queer Hike Club SFL from other outdoor groups is its intentional structure. Events are designed to be affirming and accessible, with attention paid to pronoun respect, different comfort levels with the outdoors, and how people move together through shared space.
“We could have just made a hiking club,” Van Doe said. “But I wanted to be around people I could really be myself with — and to make sure others could feel that way too.”
From the beginning, Van Doe emphasized that the club is community-led. Members are encouraged to propose outings and help shape what the group becomes.
“This isn’t about one person leading everything,” Van Doe said. “It’s about building something together and letting it grow based on what people need.”
Danny Benz joined after attending the first hike.
“I had wanted something like this for a long time,” Benz said. “Having inclusive spaces where we can go outdoors together and feel comfortable really matters.”
For many participants, the club offers an entry point into outdoor experiences they may not have felt confident pursuing alone. Some are longtime hikers or paddlers; others are new to camping, night hikes, or meditation-based practices. Rebecca Sandidge, who identifies as lesbian and queer, reflected on that shared familiarity.
“I grew up here,” she said. “I love sharing these places and helping people feel confident being out there.”
The Jonathan Dickinson weekend reflected that approach. Seventeen people joined the hike, about ten camped overnight, and fourteen paddled the Loxahatchee River. Participants chose how much to engage, with space to opt in or out of activities.
“There are a lot of people who want to be outdoors but don’t want to go alone,” Benz said. “When you go as a group, it changes what’s possible.”
