The San Francisco Bay Area Rainbow Sierrans is an outings and conservation club for LGBTQ+ people as well as their friends and allies. It is an official activities section of the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club.
The Rainbow Sierrans sponsors a variety of activities offering something for almost anyone who enjoys the outdoors. Such activities run the gamut from easy urban strolls to vigorous peak hikes; relaxed car camping to demanding wilderness backpacks; and naturalist-led walks to hands-on restoration and trail maintenance. Everyone is welcome on the outings, whether or not they have joined Rainbow Sierrans.
Ann Lehr, Vice-Chair and Outings Chair for the Rainbow Sierrans, told the San Francisco Bay Times, “We have been a part of the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club since 1986. Our membership has grown and shifted during our history. We welcome all LGBTQ+ people and our allies.”
Lehr continued, “At the present time, a preponderance of our members are female-identified. This has not always been the case. In the beginning, lesbians were a small minority while gay men were an overwhelming majority.”
The club used to be called Gay and Lesbian Sierrans (GLS). Via a timeline, Lehr shared some of that club’s early history, revealing the many initial struggles.
Notable Dates in Early Rainbow Sierrans History
November 1984: Steve Griffiths, Adam Weave, and others set up tables in the Castro to enlist interest in forming a gay and lesbian section of the Sierra Club.
January 1985: The Executive Committee of the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club voted 5 to 4 against the proposal to form the GLS.
March 1985: The GLS issued the first mimeograph of its newsletter.
April 1985: The President of the Board of Directors of the national Sierra Club threatened a lawsuit over the name Gay and Lesbian Sierrans.
September 1985: GLS supporters mounted a grassroots campaign to elect gay-friendly candidates to the Executive Committee of the San Francisco Bay Chapter of the Sierra Club.
January 1986: The Executive Committee of the San Francisco Bay Chapter voted 7 to 2 in favor of the GLS, making it the first of its kind in the nation. The Chapter Activities Committee approved the club’s bylaws.
March 1986: The GLS Provisional Governing Committee was chosen: Gray Brechin, Barak Gale, Steve Griffiths, Roger Hawkinson, Wick Kenney, Steve Krefting, Thomas Oliver, Ann Riley, and Pete Tannin.
1987: The GLS adopted the Dipsea Trail in Muir Woods as its first conservation project.
December 1987: GLS newsletter subscribers totaled almost 1100.
1990–1991: GLS member, environmentalist and local photographer Bob Walker, was elected Chair of the San Francisco Bay Chapter.
1993: GLS began volunteer work, spearheaded by Steve Neff, at Corona Heights in San Francisco.
1994: GLS member Jeff Golden was elected Vice Chair of the San Francisco Bay Chapter.
1994: GLS established the Bob Walker Conservation Award “to recognize conservation efforts that reflect Bob’s and GLS’ commitment to conservation and to preservation of remaining open spaces in the Bay Area.”
1995: GLS members Steve Griffiths and Jean Jackson led the first national Sierra Club gay and lesbian outing to the Oregon Coast.
1996: GLS celebrated its 10th anniversary.
2002: GLS went online with its first webpage hosted by the San Francisco Bay Chapter.
2006: GLS issued the first online version of its newsletter and established an E-list to facilitate membership communication.
January 2011: San Francisco’s Recreation and Park Commission recognized the GLS for more than 17 years of volunteer work at the Corona Heights Natural Area.
2028: The name Gay & Lesbian Sierrans was changed to Rainbow Sierrans in order to be more inclusive.
Yosemite in Spring
There are always inviting activities, both local and farther afield, for Rainbow Sierrans members and friends.
On Friday, April 11, there will be a trip to a local treasure: Chabot Regional Park in Oakland. Participants will hike the park’s Grass Valley Trail to the stone bridge. From there, they will do a short out and back on the Cascade Trail to a waterfall that will hopefully still be running. They will then return from the stone bridge on the Brandon Trail back to Bort Meadow.
Starting on the Friday after Earth Day, April 25, and through April 28, 15 lucky people for just $60 will experience Yosemite in Spring. There will be a campout at Hodgdon Meadow Campground in Yosemite National Park (elevation 4900 feet.).
As the organizers share: “Spring is a time of transition. Warmer weather arrives in Yosemite Valley first, while higher elevation areas of the park can remain covered in snow until late spring or early summer. Waterfalls are at their peak in spring, when snow in the high country begins to melt. Rivers and streams are also at their most powerful, so use extra caution around any flowing water. Dogwoods and early season wildflowers may be blooming. Seasonal Road Closures will still be in effect along the Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road. We will probably spend our time near camp, in the Valley, at Hetch Hetchy, and around Crane Flat (where the Merced and Tuolumne Sequoia Groves are located). Some folks may opt to make the 90-minute drive to Wawona to visit the Mariposa Grove.”
This Rainbow Sierrans camping trip will also feature a potluck dinner on Saturday evening, and camaraderie around warming firepits. Participants are encouraged to bring their musical instruments and favorite games for this scenic, relaxing, and rejuvenating trip.
Closer to home, on April 26, there will be a hike at the Pacifica Coastal Trail along the ocean and up to Mori Point. Well-behaved dogs on leash will be welcomed.
For more information about these activities and the Rainbow Sierrans, visit:
https://rainbowsierrans.org/
Earth Day Every Day
Published on April 10, 2025
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