17 Best Outdoors Independent Communities (Updated Jun 2026)

17 Outdoors communities on Independent Platforms

Updated 6/9/2026

All

#1
AllTrails
AllTrails is the world's largest outdoor platform, helping millions of hikers explore the best trails nearby. Track your favorite hikes, share reviews and photos, and connect with a global community of outdoor lovers.
50.0M members
Forum
6 views / month
#2
parkrun
parkrun organises free, weekly, 5km timed runs around the world. They are open to everyone, free, and are safe and easy to take part in.
Forum
Events
2 views / month
#3
Washington Trails Association
Washington Trails Association is on a mission to connect everyone to the outdoors and build a community that gives back to trails and public lands. Founded in 1966, WTA is a trusted resource for connecting communities to the outdoors and helping people plan trips with confidence.
Forum
Events
6 views / month
#4
American Hiking Society
American Hiking Society is the only national nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting foot-powered wilderness recreation. We connect and empower all people to enjoy, share, and preserve the hiking experience.
Forum
Events
#5
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the perpetual preservation and management of the Appalachian Trail for the benefit of those who travel it and the communities through which it passes.
Forum
Events
2 views / month
#6
Continental Divide Trail Coalition
The Continental Divide Trail Coalition connects CDT hikers and trail supporters - with resources for planning thru-hikes, trail stewardship, and an online community forum.
Forum
Events
#7
Scuba Board
Scuba Board is an online forum community for scuba divers with discussion boards, trip planning, dive site reviews, equipment advice, and certification information.
50K members
Forum
Chat
#8
iOverlander
Campgrounds and overlander services for virtually every country in the world. The best information about a place always comes from the person standing there.
Forum
#9
Hiking Project
A crowd-sourced hiking guide built by hikers like you. Born from the dream to help people get outside, Hiking Project showcases thousands of trails in your own backyard, across the U.S. and around the globe. We are here to help you plan trips and navigate while on the trails.
Forum
3 views / month
#10
Trail Sisters
Trail Sisters is a community and resource hub for women trail runners and hikers - featuring articles, events, a podcast, and a supportive online community.
Forum
Section Hiker
Section Hiker is a community and blog focused on section hiking, backpacking gear reviews, and trail guides - with an active forum for discussing long-distance hiking routes.
Forum
2 views / month
SummitPost
SummitPost is a community for mountain climbers and hikers - featuring route descriptions, summit logs, gear discussions, and a forum for outdoor adventurers worldwide.
Forum
4 views / month
Treeline Review
Treeline Review is a community-driven outdoor gear review site with a focus on hiking and backpacking - readers contribute reviews and ratings to help hikers find the best gear.
Forum
2 views / month
The Great Outdoors Stack Exchange
Q&A community on Stack Exchange for outdoor activities including hiking, backpacking, climbing, and wilderness survival - with expert answers and peer voting.
Forum
3 views / month
The Camino Forum
The Camino Forum is the largest independent online community for Camino de Santiago pilgrims - with posts covering all routes, gear, accommodations, and spiritual aspects of the pilgrimage.
Forum
4 views / month
Hipcamp Community
Camping and outdoor community connecting van lifers and campers with unique private land camping spots. Reviews, host discussions, and trip planning for off-the-beaten-path camping.
Forum
3 views / month
Gardeners' World Forum
The Gardeners World Forum is a community space for sharing gardening tips, troubleshooting plant problems, and celebrating the joy of gardening.
Forum
3 views / month

All Outdoors communities

Outdoors
49 communities
458 / mo
Outdoors, 49 communities, 458 views per month including community pages

FAQ

: Communities for outdoor enthusiasts covering hiking, camping, climbing, kayaking, and adventure travel. Reddit has some of the most active outdoors communities organized by activity and region, with Discord servers and Facebook groups for trail running clubs, leave-no-trace advocates, and local adventure groups.
: Hive Index lists 17 Outdoors independent communities on Independent Platforms. Most listings with size data are huge (6%) or gigantic (6%). This is a smaller slice of our database, so read trends as directional. The main Outdoors topic page covers every platform we track for this topic.
: Forum is the most common (100%). Others that show up often include online/offline events. Use the feature filters above the list to narrow results.
: All 17 listings on this page are free to join (no paid membership or application gate listed). Access rules can still change on the community side.
: On Hive Index, the default Popular sort surfaces AllTrails, parkrun, Washington Trails Association, and American Hiking Society first. Popularity reflects visitor interest in communities on the site, not a universal quality score. Use the sort menu for Ratings, Largest, or Newest.
: Listings are submitted by community builders and researchers, reviewed for topic relevance, and updated with platform, feature, member, review, and traffic data where available. Member counts are approximate. Popular reflects visitor interest in communities on the site, with richer profiles breaking ties. Ratings, Largest, and Newest use review scores, reported member counts, and listing age instead.
: This page was last updated 6/9/2026, based on the most recent change to the topic or its listings. We refresh entries when communities are submitted, claimed, or reviewed, and we update member counts, features, and traffic data on an ongoing basis.