Empowering and connecting folks through nature.
“A walk in nature walks the soul back home.” - Mary Davis
Wander Women started in 2018 as a way to connect, guide and empower women on camping and hiking trips throughout Iowa. We saw a chance to bring together a community of folks in nature to relax, reconnect to a deep love of the outdoors and build new relationships to others and ourselves. Now, just a few years later, our community is larger than we could have imagined and we’ve expanded to offer backpacking trips, paddling trips and educational courses to folks all across the Midwest. It’s a dream come true, and it’s still growing!
Wander Women trips are for women, non-binary and gender fluid folks who feel most comfortable in spaces designed for women. Wander Women was founded by Jenn in 2018, and in 2020, Kerri came on as co-owner. Together we dream up all of Wander Women’s big ideas, make this small business machine run and drink a truly impressive amount of tea.
The Wander Women experience
Wander Women trips are designed to be restorative, relaxing, full of connection and knowledge building. Days are filled with activities ranging from skill-building workshops, hammock reading and card playing, to group hikes, impromptu yoga sessions and creek stomping. Nights are spent around the campfire, digging deep into ourselves and our place in nature. Trip participants learn the basic skills and knowledge they need to become confident on outdoor adventures and journeys outside of Wander Women trips. Participants and guides share in collective knowledge and experience and come away from their weekends with new skills, deep fulfillment and a community of fellow wanderers.
Wander Women is for you if:
You’ve ever felt under-or-unrepresented in the outdoors in Iowa and beyond, and you are comfortable in a space that centers the experiences of women.
You’re looking for a weekend to give yourself a break, a gift or time to relax and unwind
You’ve always been interested in camping/paddling/backpacking but don’t have the gear and/or knowledge, and want to learn basic camping and outdoor skills to build your confidence. OR it’s been awhile since you adventured outdoors and want to rediscover your skills and confidence.
You want to find new parks and areas in the Midwest to enjoy nature, and a community of others who love being outside too
You’re queer, straight, BIPOC, white, urban-dwelling, rural-dwelling, adventurous, curious, hardcore, softcore, down for something new
Why Iowa and the Midwest?
Both Jenn and Kerri grew up in Iowa and developed our deep love of nature here, despite the perception that it’s hard to find places to enjoy the outdoors in Iowa and the Midwest. Through our trips, we want to showcase the state and region’s parks and recreation areas and build a community of folks committed to loving and preserving our natural places. And while it’s true that less than 3% of Iowa’s land is public recreation land, we know that the more time folks spend in these areas, know them intimately and develop connections of their own, the stronger our collective love and action for the land will be.