Rails Camp West started in 2015. From the Sawtooth Mountains to Tahoe National Forest, we haven’t repeated a venue yet. Always surrounded by trees, mountains, streams, lakes and my favorite have no wifi or cell-reception.
The beginning.
Dardanelle, CA
2015
The memorable kick off in the middle of the Stanislaus National Forest. We hiked, went in the river, played board games, and had a proper Code Retreat.
“Overall it was such an epic Rails Camp... I met so many awesome people and heard many great stories. I found the whole weekend quite relaxing, which is not something I could say about conferences. A smaller group of people really helps too. By the end I felt like I’d spoken to about 80% of everyone there. It’s these factors that makes Rails Camp such a great format…” Continue reading
- David Jones, Director of Engineering at Percy.io
Chapter 2.
Stanley, Idaho
2016
Oh Stanley, Idaho, our favorite town in the US. The camp was a favorite because it was on a private lake and we got to go white water rafting on Saturday!
”I’ve been to two Rails Camps in Australia but the vibe at Rails Camp US West was markedly different (in a good way). At the camps I’ve been to back home the focus for the weekend was to spend time “hacking” on a project (either solo or as part of a team) and to then show off the fruits of your labour to the rest of the group on Sunday night.
At this camp however, there was almost none of that; I didn’t open my laptop at all over the weekend and I reckon the same is true for probably 80% of the other 40 or so attendees. Instead, we spent the weekend playing basketball and volleyball, kayaking, hiking, and even fishing…” Continue reading
- Dylan Wolff, Developer
Chapter 3.
Golden, CO
2017
The rocky mountains treated us well in 2017. We had our first competitive canoe race, went swimming, hiking, rock climbing and had a volleyball competition. We ate meals in open air tents and stayed in some plush cabins.
”Rails Camp is unlike any conference I've ever attended. It's an amazing time to connect with others around technology in nature. The camps are always beautiful and full of fun activities, and the people are incredible. Go, you'll love it!”
Chapter 4.
Sierra City, CA
2018
Wow, wow wow Tahoe National Forest. Just a stones through away from Truckee, CA. This summer camp we stayed at was rated one of the best camps for outside recreation in America by Outside Magazine. It was dusty and dirty. Had rustic cabins and shower houses, but we had an absolute blast. There was a very tall rope swing in the middle of the woods that we used around 10pm, I’ll leave it at that.
”I can't understate how incredible Rails Camps are - the fact that I travelled around the globe without knowing anyone and left with a bunch new friends and memories is a testament to the community and true spirit of Rails Camps!”
- Melissa Kaulfuss, Developer
Chapter 5.
McLoed, Montana
2019
Oh Montana you stole our hearts this year. We stayed deep in the heart of the Abasaroka Wilderness right along the beautiful and rugged Boulder river deep in the Boulder Valley on permitted USDA Forest Service land.
And the event was a classic western fairy tale. We hosted everyone at the venue where a portion of the movie A River Runs Through It was filmed! We went horse back riding, rock climbing, hiking, and fishing. We brought in a local fly fishing guide and swing dancing instructor to share all that Montana has to offer.
Chapter 6.
Diablo Lake, Washington
2022
Wowwww, after being post-poned for 2 years we finally pulled off one of our most memorable camps to date. At the unreal glacier blue waters of Diablo Lake in Washington state we hosted camp in the North Cascades National Park at the North Cascades Environmental Institute.
We went on massive guided canoe rides, hiked, hung by the lake, played board games, sang karaoke all night, and finished a very large puzzle.
