Schedule of Events
Friday
- Registration and check-in from 3 - 9 p.m.
- Group social and campfire at the pavilion site G4 - 8 p.m. until midnight. Free campfire and s'mores for everyone courtesy of Paul and Chuck. Wristbands for the Saturday night event will be distributed at the social. Bring a camping chair and your favorite beverages.
Saturday
- Exploring the area - off-roading, hiking, biking, visiting local tourist attractions/sightseeing, etc.) - 9 a.m. until 5/6 p.m. If you willing to lead an activity, please email West40RV@gmail.com directly. We need volunteers - Thank You in advance for helping!
Area events and activities include:- Off-roading - Iron Range Off-Highway Vehicle State Recreation Area (bring your own ATV/OHV)
- Kayaking at Lake-Ore-Be Gone - rentals available at Sherwood Forest campground/Lake-Ore-Be-Gone
Gym/Workout Time (locally owned LGBTQ fitness center)
- Hiking - Laurentian Divide and Lookout Mountain
- Scenic Chairlift Rides - Giant's Ridge
- Biking - Mesabi Trail (bring your own bike)
- Biking - Redhead Mountain Bike Park (bring your own bike)
- Sightseeing - Museums and points of interest - see office for information
- Sightseeing - Mini-golf courses in Virginia or Tower
Saturday Night
- This year, we are offering a more coordinated campground cookout put together by campground owners, Paul and Chuck. During the registration process, each booking will require a minimum $8 add-on surcharge for a wristband to attend the event. Please add additional charge amounts for each person in your reservation that would like to attend and receive a wristband. The charge is intended to be a per-person charge to pay for the additional costs incurred for the event (food purchase and drag performer stipend).
- Group cookout and potluck at the pavilion starting at 7 p.m. Paul and Chuck will provide hamburgers, hot dogs, buns and all the fixings plus a selection of Coke products and water for everyone with a wristband. CampOUT participants are encouraged to bring their own side dish to share with others in the group. If hamburgers and hot dogs aren't your thing, you are welcome to use our grill to cook your own food as well.
- Entertainment will be from at 8-10 p.m. We are working on developing something fun that we hope to announce shortly.
- 10-midnight social time.
Sunday
- Departures on your own - checkout is 12 p.m. Late check-out is may be available for $10 per site, check with campground staff.
10% of all campground sales from the CampOUT weekends will be donated to Rainbow Rangers who plan and organize the local Pride event in Virginia, MN.
Reservations for June 2-4
To make your reservation for the June 2-4 weekend, use the Group Code below when booking on our website:
- PRIDECAMPOUT23
- The campsite block expires on May 24. Unclaimed camping spots will be open to the general public starting May 25.
- Availability for campsites is in real-time on our reservation page for Friday, June 2 - Sunday, June 4.
- Each reservation made prior to May 25 requires a minimum of 1 wristband purchase for the Saturday night event, good for admission of 1 person in your camping group. Add the number of people in your group who would like to attend the event. Wristbands will be distributed upon check-in. This helps pay for the costs associated with food and entertainment for the night. Reservations placed after May 25 will need to order wristbands for the Saturday event by contacting the office directly.
- If you would like to arrive earlier or stay later than the dates of the campsite block for the event weekend, just follow these easy steps:
- Book your campsite for June 2-4
- When you receive your confirmation, reply to the confirmation email with a request to arrive early, stay late or both.
- West Forty will make the requested changes to your reservation manually. The changes will be confirmed by email and will show up when you visit our Guest Portal.
Reservations for September 8-10
To make your reservation for the September 8-10 weekend, use the Group Code below when booking on our website:
- FALLCAMPOUT23
- The campsite block expires on August 24. Unclaimed camping spots will be open to the general public starting August 25.
- Availability for campsites is in real-time on our reservation page for Friday, Sept. 8 - Sunday, Sept. 10.
- Each reservation made prior to August 25 requires a minimum of 1 wristband purchase for the Saturday night event, good for admission of 1 person in your camping group. Add the number of people in your group who would like to attend the event. Wristbands will be distributed upon check-in. This helps pay for the costs associated with food and entertainment for the night. Reservations placed after August 25 will need to order wristbands for the Saturday event by contacting the office directly.
- If you would like to arrive earlier or stay later than the dates of the campsite block for the event weekend, just follow these easy steps:
- Book your campsite for Sept. 8-10
- When you receive your confirmation, reply to the confirmation email with a request to arrive early, stay late or both.
- West Forty will make the requested changes to your reservation manually. The changes will be confirmed by email and will show up when you visit our Guest Portal.
Cancellation Policy
- All reservations require the equivalent of one night campsite rental deposit at the time of booking plus any charges for additional people above site occupancy limits, non-refundable reservation fee, campground booking fee, lock fee (if selected), credit card processing fee and payment for any additional items selected as add-ons.
- The balance due for all daily/weekly reservations will be processed automatically by our system at 9 a.m. Central time on the morning after the scheduled check-in date.
- CampOUT event add-on items (Saturday meal tickets, entertainment wristbands, etc.) are non-refundable. Unfortunately, we will be charged for these items regardless if you attend or cancel once you select them, so we cannot provide refunds on add-ons.
- Cancellations made 7 days (or more) prior to the booked arrival date, will be refunded minus the amount of 1 night stay, non-refundable reservation fee, and campground booking fee. If special event meal add-ons were selected with the reservation, the charge for those items cannot be refunded.
- Cancellations within 7 days of the booked arrival date will not be refunded. The balance of the original amount due at check-in will be voided.
- Any campsite not occupied by 10 p.m. on the scheduled day of arrival will be considered a no call/no show and will be reopened to our bookable inventory at 10 a.m. the next morning.
- Reservations not cancelled prior to the arrival date will be charged the full balance due to the card on file automatically by our system at 9 a.m. Central time on the day after scheduled arrival. Refunds will not be granted for reservations not cancelled in advance.
Campground Information
We have a variety of campsite styles and types to choose from when making your reservation. They include:
- Group tent sites, 3-4 tents, rustic (G1, G2, G3)
- Tent sites, rustic or electric only (A6-A9, A12 and A13)
- Small camper or tent site, with electric and/or water (A1-A5, A10, A11, and C1-C6)
- Standard drive-through, full hookup sites (B section)
- Standard back-in, full hookup sites (C7-C11)
- Premium full hookup sites (D section)
Real-time pricing is displayed when you check availability online.
Our goal was to have our new restroom/shower facility, which include all-gender restroom and shower options, open by June 1. Unfortunately, we are experiencing construction delays that are beyond our control which makes it difficult to project a completion date. Our existing restrooms and showers in our office building can be used based on the gender that most closely matches how you identify.
Gilbert LGBTQ CampOUT Weekends
June 2-4 and September 8-10, 2023
Welcome to the Gilbert LGBTQ CampOUT weekend registration. We are designing weekends dedicated to providing members of the LGBTQ community a safe space to gather and enjoy the great outdoors of Minnesota's Iron Range! To register and reserve your campsite, visit our website and enter the dates and Group Code associated with the event you would like to attend.
For those who are able, we invite you to arrive a day early to get extra time to setup or explore the area. Instructions for early arrival or late departures are included in the reservations section below.
- West Forty RV Park and Campground is located in Gilbert, MN - about 3 hours by car from the Twin Cities or 4+ hours when towing a camper. Driving directions and check-in details will be emailed to you after you register!
- The campground does not allow nudity. This is strictly a PG-13 event. Our monthly/seasonal renters will also be on property during this weekend, but we've put site blocks on the rest of the campground until just a few weeks before the events so that we have a majority of the campground dedicated to CampOUT participants.
West Forty RV Park and Campground