Pioneer: Alyssa Ravasio
Hipcamp allows you to easily find and reserve great campsites nationwide
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Founder, Hipcamp | 27, San Francisco, California
“Before I started Hipcamp, I’d spent so many hours online trying to find and book a campground that I nearly gave up. I couldn’t believe how difficult it was. Once, after I’d finally got a campsite, I showed up and realized that I hadn’t been told the most important thing about the spot—that it had an incredible surf break. And, of course, I hadn’t brought my board!
“The idea for Hipcamp hit me like a ton of bricks. Our site allows you to easily find and reserve great campsites nationwide, regardless of who owns or manages the land. When we started, we had to push the Park Service to open its data system to people who are more digitally minded—people who have grown up with these tools. It was an idea whose time had come. Now we’re working with private landowners to share places right outside, say, Yosemite, where you can’t book a site for the summer unless you’re up on January 2 at 8 A.M. for the lottery.
“Plus, a lot of our private sites have unique elements, like a horse sanctuary or an organic farm, giving people new ways to connect with nature. Our mission is to get more people outside. But we’re also aware that, as we succeed, we need to create more places for them to go.”
