A 'Green Book' for Campgrounds: Enhancing Diversity in Outdoor Experiences
Historically, family camping trips, a quintessential aspect of American life, were not uniformly accessible to all. Many national parks were established through the displacement of Indigenous communities, and for a significant portion of the 20th century, Black Americans faced either segregated campsites or outright bans from certain parks. This challenging past led individuals like Sally Steele to discover camping later in life.
Sally, who, like her husband Justin Steele, grew up in a mixed-race family with a Black father and white mother, did not experience camping during her childhood. However, their shared love for the outdoors blossomed during college, prompting them to embark on camping adventures despite their initial inexperience. As their family expanded, Sally and Justin observed numerous obstacles to camping, particularly for people from diverse backgrounds. Their friends often expressed hesitation, echoing the couple's understanding of why these barriers existed.
A significant knowledge gap was apparent for those who hadn't grown up with camping in their family traditions. Campground reservation systems often proved perplexing, and anxieties about being the sole person of color in an outdoor setting were common. Motivated to increase diversity in campgrounds, Sally and Justin resolved to take action.
In response to feedback from their friends regarding barriers to camping, Sally and Justin developed a comprehensive strategy. Although based in California, their vision was to establish a national platform that would alleviate concerns about potential discrimination, streamline the process of finding campsites, and provide educational resources on necessary gear and its usage.
Even currently, Caucasian individuals constitute a disproportionately large majority of visitors to national parks compared to Black and Latino individuals. This enduring disparity motivated Sally and Justin to launch Outdoorithm, a digital platform comprising both a website and an application. Outdoorithm offers a searchable database of thousands of campgrounds, while also addressing the specific concerns of underrepresented campers. As Sally articulated, "We started Outdoorithm to democratize access to public lands."
With initial funding secured through REI's Embark Program in 2024, Sally and Justin were able to develop their proprietary AI model, named Camp Sage. This innovative technology underpins one of the platform's most compelling features: the Outdoorithm Green Book. The name pays homage to the historical "Negro Motorist Green Book," a guide that assisted Black American travelers in finding safe accommodations and dining establishments during the mid-20th century. Despite mostly positive camping experiences, the Steele family had encountered "some bad experiences." Sally emphasized, "As a Black family in the outdoors, and not seeing a lot of other families like us, we wanted to make sure people felt safe. And we wanted to have that assurance backed with data."
To date, the Steeles' AI model has meticulously analyzed 1.3 million reviews from over 9,100 campgrounds. Each campground featured on the platform includes an "Outdoorithm Green Book" section, which meticulously categorizes reviews based on potential issues such as safety concerns, unhelpful staff, or problematic campers. This section also provides a "Vibe Score" derived from this comprehensive analysis. Sally affirmed, "The majority of our public lands are safe, and the Community Vibe Score bears that out. It gives you the information you need to go in with open eyes."
Beyond its safety features, the platform offers a comprehensive array of camping information. Its Camp Sage AI model enables ChatGPT-like inquiries specifically tailored to camping, allowing users to obtain precise answers to highly specific questions. For instance, a user could inquire, "Find me a campground near Atlanta with access to a lake or river," and receive a curated list of campgrounds, complete with summaries and a map for geographical context.
Outdoorithm integrates many search filters commonly found on other camping databases, such as categories for outdoor activities, available amenities, and scenic qualities. However, a distinctive filter, in addition to the "Outdoorithm Green Book," is "Heritage Significance." This feature allows users to search for campgrounds based on their historical relevance to various groups, including Indigenous tribes, Latino Americans, Black Americans, Asian Americans, LGBTQ+ individuals, or women.
Furthermore, the database furnishes extensive logistical details, encompassing average campground costs, weather forecasts, booking procedures, and trip-planning utilities. This comprehensive information is concisely presented at the top of each campground page. For example, when examining the page for Panola Mountain State Park, a favored location near Atlanta, the summary eloquently describes it as, "A primitive walk-in escape 18 miles from Atlanta, built around a rare granite monadnock and a pond-side campsite that rewards anyone willing to haul gear 1.5 miles in." This description, remarkably accurate, resonated deeply with the park's frequent visitors.
Outdoorithm also features a dedicated Gear page, offering interactive packing lists with recommended equipment for diverse camping styles. For those seeking a more streamlined approach, Camp Sage can generate a personalized packing list based on the specifics of an upcoming trip. The platform's utility has garnered significant traction, now serving 30,000 monthly users.
Despite the wealth of information provided, Sally recognized that for many, direct, hands-on guidance is essential for initiating a camping experience. As she recently articulated on LinkedIn, "We started Outdoorithm with the desire to help families figure out where to go, what to bring, and whether they belonged. Outdoorithm.com is nailing the first two. But we weren't seeing that third question about belonging get answered. We needed to create a space where people could experience belonging themselves. So we defied all the naysayers and we started a nonprofit: Outdoorithm Collective."
Through the Outdoorithm Collective, Sally began organizing camping excursions specifically for families eager to try camping for the first time. Supported by contributions from individual donors, foundations, and corporate partners like REI and Arc’teryx, these trips are offered free of charge. In the two years since its inception, the nonprofit has facilitated 14 trips, engaging a total of 400 participants, predominantly families of color.
Sally noted that many individuals who feel insecure in outdoor environments expressed a need for in-person support. She explained, "It's one thing to go out there yourself. It's another thing to bring your children."
Beyond providing a single positive experience, Sally aimed to cultivate lasting confidence in families of color to continue camping independently. While the nonprofit supplies the necessary gear, participants are still encouraged to set up their own tents, fostering a sense of self-reliance.
During evening gatherings around the campfire, Sally imparts mantras designed to shift perspectives on camping and empower families to define their own approach to outdoor engagement. These mantras include "dirt don’t hurt," "camp as it comes," and "nobody solos." Crucially, a mantra increasingly embraced by underrepresented groups in America resonates strongly: "Take up space."
Sally emphasized, "You don’t need to become a different person. You don’t need to look like an advertisement for outdoor recreation to be in the outdoors. We want people to develop this in their own lives."
The Outdoorithm app is freely available for download on both Google Play and Apple’s App Store.