If you’re ever feeling anxious, lonely, or disconnected—a jaunt into nature might just be the cure. Seriously! It’s been scientifically proven that immersing yourself in nature can lead to lifelong benefits for your health and happiness. Hipcamp hosts create new places for nature lovers to camp, play and be wild. Here are some Hipcamp hosts who offer unique healing experiences in nature.

Peace, Healing and Sustainability at Otter Space

Photo of Dr. Peter Alsop by Jay Kijai

Hipcamp host Dr. Peter Alsop (above) bought his property in Humboldt County, California in 2002 “to be a place of healing, where human service professionals could come train with him about how to help children and families cope with issues such as chemical dependency, loss and grief and child abuse and trauma.” Dr. Alsop is a certified experiential therapist and educational psychologist, who also happens to write great songs for kids! Learn more about him.

Today, you can also camp on Dr. Alsop’s beautiful land in Northern California—in tents, cabins, a yurt or a teepee! Their friends, Joe and Wendy Moore, live at Otter Space and offer a wide range of sustainability workshops that campers can enroll in for additional rates. Nothing is more healing for the earth and your soul than working with your hands and learning sustainable methods to living. Workshops include how to forage wild edibles, cob building, flint knapping and primitive fire building. Learn more about Otter Space.

Camping for Yogis

Photo by Clayton Hermann at Fortunate Farm

Yoga is a traditional spiritual practice that has infinite health benefits for both your body and mind. Various Hipcamp hosts offer yoga classes at or near their properties. For example, Juko, the host at Earthy Redwood Retreat, has a mountain yoga studio just minutes from her forested camp in the Santa Cruz Mountains. A bit further north at Fortunate Farm, an organic farm on the Mendocino Coast, yoga classes are held every Saturday from 11-12.

Farm Work Make Fun Work

Photo by Donovan Jenkins at Leaping Lamb Farm, OR.

Scottie Jones from Leaping Lamb Farm, OR wrote a great piece for us last year, Why Stay on a Farm?, where she highlights the benefits of farm stays for both campers and farms:

“Yup, we farmers are looking at diversification strategies (wow, we sounds like hedge fund managers) that include the hospitality business and inviting strangers to experience our lifestyle. It helps pay for tractor maintenance, but it also allows us to share our vistas as well as our challenges with urbanites and travelers, often disconnected from the natural world in ways that would have our grandparents shaking their collective heads. We know. We were those urbanites—until we weren’t.“

Many farm stays on Hipcamp offer campers the chance to roll their sleeves up, help with farm duties, pick their own vegetables or at the very least cuddle with some baby goats. Farm work can give you a greater sense of connection to the land and your food sources. While it can be hard work, it is also fun!

Hot Spring Therapy

Madison Kotack at Paradise Shores, CA

Hot springs, besides being serene places to relax and hang out, have a myriad of health benefit. The combination of warm temperatures with an abundance of minerals helps release toxins from the body, increases circulation, reduces tension and can stimulate the immune system. And depending on what types of minerals there are in the waters, soaking in a hot spring can have even more benefits. For example, sulfur hot springs can help promote health hair, nails and skin and prevent skin inflammation and infection. You can search by campsites near hot springs by filtering by “Terrain” on the left side of the discover page.

Animal Love

Juliana Linder at WildTender Ranch.

Us humans aren’t the only ones in need of some TLC these days. Various Hipcamp properties are also animal rescue farms and sanctuaries, like Happy Valley Ranch, WildTender Ranch and Great Spirits Ranch.