Terms of Service

By creating an account on wildernessqueers.com or attending a Wilderness Queers event, you agree to these Terms. If you don’t agree, please don’t use the site or attend events.

These Terms work alongside our Privacy Policy and any event-specific waiver you may sign before participating.

You can sign up if you:

• Are 18 years of age or older.
• Provide accurate information when creating an account or applying.
• Agree to follow the community guidelines below at events and on the site.

Wilderness Queers is a queer-centered outdoor community. Public RSVP-style events (day hikes, public meet-ups, joint events with other groups) are open to LGBTQ+ folks and allies who respect and uplift the queer community.

Some application-based events — typically multi-day trips with shared lodging — may be limited to LGBTQ+ attendees by design, in which case the application form will indicate the eligibility criteria for that specific event.

Either way, we reserve the right to decline applications and remove attendees who violate the community guidelines below, regardless of identity.

By participating, you agree to:

• Treat all attendees with respect, regardless of identity. Harassment, threats, slurs, and discriminatory behavior of any kind are grounds for immediate removal.
• Use a real or chosen name — no impersonation of other people, real or fictional.
• Not use the site or events for marketing, recruiting, MLM, fundraising, political campaigning, or other commercial purposes unrelated to Wilderness Queers activities.
• Follow event-specific rules from your host: gear lists, meeting times, payment expectations, waivers, leave-no-trace principles, and any rules of the public lands you’re on.
• Communicate any safety concerns, accessibility needs, or conflicts to your host promptly so they can be addressed.

Violations of these guidelines — especially harassment or endangering other attendees — may result in account suspension, removal from current and future events, and (where warranted) reporting to local authorities.

Outdoor activities involve inherent and significant risks. These can include, without limitation: falls, sprains, fractures, hypothermia, dehydration, sunburn, drowning, exposure to wildlife and insects, encounters with poisonous plants, vehicle accidents en route to and from events, weather hazards, exhaustion, and other dangers that cannot be fully predicted or prevented.

By attending Wilderness Queers events, you acknowledge that:

• You assume all risks associated with the activity. You are responsible for assessing whether your fitness level, gear, and skills are appropriate for the event.
• Wilderness Queers is not a guide service. Hosts are volunteer community members, not certified wilderness guides, search-and-rescue personnel, or medical professionals.
• Wilderness Queers does not provide medical, evacuation, or insurance services. You are responsible for your own health insurance and any evacuation costs you may incur.
• You may be required to sign a separate waiver for specific events. The event-specific waiver controls in addition to these Terms for that event.
• If you are not comfortable with any aspect of a planned event — the difficulty, the duration, the terrain, the weather forecast — do not attend.

The carpool board on each event page is a tool for attendees to coordinate rides among themselves. Wilderness Queers does not vet drivers, verify insurance, or endorse any specific carpool arrangement. Coordinating a ride is between you and the other attendee.

By posting a listing or contacting another listing, you acknowledge that any rides you arrange are at your own risk.

Some events have a per-person cost. Payments are made directly to the event host (typically via Venmo or similar peer-to-peer services). Wilderness Queers does not process payments on the site — the “mark as paid” toggle is a record of what your host received offline.

Refunds are at the host’s discretion based on the event-specific terms. Costs that have already been incurred on your behalf (campsite reservations, group gear, deposits) are typically non-refundable, especially close to the event date. Ask your host before paying if you have refund concerns.

You’re responsible for keeping your sign-in email secure. Anyone who can read magic-link emails sent to your address can sign in as you, so use an email account you control.

You can delete your account at any time from your profile. We may suspend or terminate accounts for violations of these Terms or for activity we reasonably believe is fraudulent or harmful to other attendees.

The Wilderness Queers name, logo, and site content are owned by the Wilderness Queers organizers. Attendee photos that appear on the site (with permission) remain owned by their photographers unless otherwise noted. You retain ownership of any application answers, profile content, and listings you create — but you grant us a limited license to display them on the site as part of operating the community (e.g., showing your name on a carpool listing to other confirmed attendees).

The site is provided “as is.” We don’t warrant that it will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that any content is accurate or complete.

To the maximum extent permitted by California law, Wilderness Queers and its organizers, hosts, volunteers, and contractors are not liable for:

• Personal injury, property damage, illness, or death occurring at or in connection with events.
• Issues arising from carpools or rides arranged through the carpool board.
• Conflicts between attendees outside of organized event activities.
• Acts of God, weather events, wildlife encounters, or actions of third parties (other park users, emergency responders, public land managers, etc.).
• Indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages of any kind.

This limitation does not apply to liability that cannot be waived under California law (for example, gross negligence, willful misconduct, or violations of California civil rights statutes).

You agree to defend and indemnify Wilderness Queers and its organizers, hosts, and volunteers from any claims, damages, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from your violation of these Terms, your violation of any law, or your conduct at events.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles. Any dispute arising from these Terms or your use of the site will be brought in the state or federal courts located in San Francisco County, California, and you consent to personal jurisdiction there.

Before filing any formal claim, please email us at hello@wildernessqueers.com so we can try to resolve the issue.

We may update these Terms over time. We’ll post the updated version with a new effective date. For material changes, we’ll email registered users. Continued use of the site after changes go into effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

hello@wildernessqueers.com