Enjoy the Great Outdoors at West Forty RV Park and Campground

If spending more time enjoying the great outdoors is on your 2024 New Year’s resolution list, we’ve got some great news for you. There are tons of ways to get outside, and one of the best is by visiting West Forty RV Park and Campground, which is located in the heart of Minnesota’s gorgeous Iron Range on the Laurentian Divide. Whether you’re a seasoned camper, a less experienced glamper, or you just want to see some of the beautiful nature that Northern Minnesota offers, West Forty is the perfect place for you. And, as a cherry on top, it’s a gay-owned and LGBTQ+ friendly space, so everyone can feel welcome and celebrated when they show up with their camping gear!

The owner-operator of West Forty RV Park and Campground, Paul Skrbec (he/him), has big plans for the campgrounds this year, on top of the incredible improvements he’s already made to the family-owned and run business. Skrbec says, “My dad built the campground from scratch in 2004 with about 15-20 campsites and slowly added sites over time. I’ve been a part of the operation from the very beginning. In fact, I came up with our name—West Forty RV Park and Campground. Back in our early days, I was responsible for marketing and sales while I also worked my corporate job and balanced life in the Twin Cities LGBTQ-community.”

Skrbec inherited the campgrounds from his father in 2020. He says, “at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, my 80-year old dad wanted to retire and have less stress related to how much we’d grown since opening. During COVID, everyone wanted to get out and do something, but most activities except camping were shut down or severely limited. The demand for camping was overwhelming, so I took over daily operations of the business. I transitioned the campground from a hobby farm to a full-time job almost overnight. We’ve have continued to grow ever since.”

Now, West Forty RV Park and Campground is a thriving community center for campers and outdoors-adorers from all over. Skrbec says, “We started as an RV park that focused on families and pull-behind campers/RVs, but have expanded our campsite options over the years to include tenting and group camping… Since I started managing my family’s campground, we’ve increased the number of total campsites by more that 25 percent, made significant improvements to water, sewer and electric options on almost all of our sites, and added a camp store with commonly requested items and apparel.”

West Forty truly is a perfect place to bring your friends, family, or chosen family to enjoy! Relax by a crackling campfire, soak in the sun, relish all of the beauty that Minnesota has to offer, and connect with your loved ones. And, while it’s the perfect spot to enjoy a peaceful camping trip, there are also tons of other amazing attractions nearby. Skrbec says, “We’re conveniently located to a variety of popular tourist destinations like the World’s Largest Hockey stick (great for selfies!) and the Hockey Hall of Fame in Eveleth, the Iron Range Off-Road Vehicle Park for ATVs and Jeeps or the Mesabi Trail for hiking/biking in Gilbert, Minnesota’s tallest bridge (with stunning views and photos) in Virginia, the Redhead Mountain Bike Park and the Minnesota Museum of Mining in Chisholm or the Soudan Underground Mine State Park in Soudan.” Take a trip to truly remember by heading to West Forty RV Park and Campground!

Even with all its amazing amenities, West Forty RV Park and Campground isn’t resting on its laurels. Skrbec says that there are tons of incredible developments on the horizon. He says, “In December, we were fortunate to be one of 33 recipients of a grant from the PFund Foundation that is intended to help queer entrepreneurs in greater Minnesota with capital investments…This grant will help us to renovate our campground office, add a massage studio, expand the offerings of our camp store and also fuel the launch of our new glamping tent-cabin product which we expect to have available for guests beginning in July.”

If you’re not a camping pro quite yet, but you want to dip your toe into the world of the great outdoors, you can still enjoy the campground. Don’t worry about bringing camping gear if you plan on glamping—no sleeping on the ground required! Skrbec also says the campground is excited to add, “a community/peace garden which will be open to all campground guests and include access for guests to pick fresh vegetables in-season for free when they stay with us.”

Possibly the most special improvement to the campground, one very near and dear to Skrbec’s heart, is that this year they’re opening a brand new, gender-inclusive restroom, so guests of all genders feel welcome and accepted. Skrbec says, “This year, we will open our new, state-of-the-art restroom and shower facility that includes a gender inclusive design which ensures our trans and non-binary guests feel just as comfortable as our cis-gender guests. This project is something I’m particularly proud of because of the number of trans and non-binary people in my life.”

Adding a new gender inclusive restroom is proof that West Forty lives up to its mission, which, as Skrbec says, is to, “offer an inclusive and welcoming space to use as a basecamp for exploring all the great things about northern Minnesota.” The campgrounds offer a space to both LGBTQ+ people and allies alike to relax and enjoy nature, without any stress about who they are. West Forty RV Park and Campground’s connection to the LGBTQ+ community goes deeper than that, however. They’re a gold sponsor of Iron Pride, and they host an annual pride event alongside the Iron Pride Festival, called CampOUT. Skrbec explains CampOut: “Our CampOUT weekends started two seasons ago as an effort to offer a welcoming space for the LGBTQ-community and provide access to enjoy the Iron Range. As we started planning our first weekend, I discovered Gay Camping Friends which is a national directory of LGBTQ campgrounds. Through working with them, we realized that our campground is the only gay/queer-owned campground in Minnesota.” Skrbec elaborates, “The first few CampOUT weekends were well attended and grew with each event we planned and each of them helped raise money for our local Pride organization.

This year, the weekend has morphed into an event that cooperates with our local LGBTQ-community… This year’s Iron Pride festival is scheduled for Saturday, August 10. Our CampOUT weekend is being planned for August 8 – 11. The CampOUT offers a mix of self-led tourist activities focused on exploring the area as well as an option to participate in Iron Pride weekend events.” But if you can’t make it to CampOUT, that’s okay! The campgrounds are open from May 1^st to October 15^th.

So take a step out into nature this spring, and head to West Forty RV Park and Campground for a wonderful time with your loved ones.

West Forty RV Park
245 Highway 37
Gilbert, MN 55741
www.westfortyrvpark.com