Updated on August 6, 2026 at 4:16 pm.
Walking from the grassy parking lot to Ray of Sunshine Campground, I see wildflowers and monarch butterflies dancing on the sunny field. Then, up rises the scent of sweet grass and sassafras. As I get closer to the campground, I notice accents of fresh, cut lumber.
Eventually, I pass a few tent sites. Each has a fire ring, picnic table and platform, and is surrounded by a generous amount of space. That’s a luxury, as on too many campgrounds, tent sites are cramped or too close to one another.
By the time I reach the first cabin and see Kat St. Pierre, I am relaxed and ready to book a week for myself.
“I could camp in one of these spots and potentially not even see the next tent,” I say to Kat. She runs the campground, along with her parents, Rick and Luon.
That’s by design, says Kat. And there’s enough space that you won’t hear the next site too much, either. “Although we were here building a tent platform and we heard a family giggling and having fun. It was just really nice.”
The 123-acre farm itself is rural enough that the only sounds I hear are nature. The campground occupies 12 acres of forested land and meadow. She and her dad cut and mill their own wood, which is used for everything from tent platforms to glamping cabins.
Being Queer in the Country
Kat is the seventh generation to work the land. She recognizes how precious this legacy is and wants to share it with as many people as possible, especially in the LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities. But I must ask, are queer campers safe in Mercer County?
“Of course, we are safe for LGBTQ and for marginalized people in general,” she responds. “I am queer, and my campground is woman-owned, family-operated, and welcoming to everyone.” All the surrounding neighbors in her area are very supportive of her and her business, and most of them have known her since she was a kid.
There are a few spots in the county that are full-blown MAGA, but the queer-owned businesses and many other welcoming spots more than make up for them. “I have a guidebook of them, and maybe I should put it on the website,” she says.
Plus, she is a force for good in her area, creating something special that people want to be part of. “We just had a queer fireside chat for people in a rural area. It was great. We met people from Oil City, and people from essentially the backyard over in Clark, from Pittsburgh, and then my dad, and my best friend from elementary school was leading it.”
They made connections, shared stories and answered questions on being queer in Mercer County. “Several people have rebooked with other events and I’m so glad they know they have a space in the area for them.”
You Can See the Stars
In addition to the tent sites with platforms, Ray of Sunshine offers cabins with queen-sized mattresses on the first floor and a loft with a trundle bed on the second, plus backpacking sites for those who want to go fully off grid. Each cabin has cheery paint, cozy comforters, its own compost outhouse, and enough space around it that you won’t see your neighbor. They’re named for influential people in Kat’s life, such as grandparents.
There’s no water or electricity on site. Kat has containers to rent if you don’t want to haul your own, and a Dollar General is three minutes away for anything you forget.
“I do have pop-up tents and an outdoor solar shower if people want to rent that,” she says. “One day I’d love to do little solar showers, and I have so many dreams of having a little bathtub in the woods. It comes down to actually building it, and that takes time, and I’m still building.”
She and her dad are busy polishing the sites. You can still see tire tracks from a construction vehicle near one of the cabins.
Do you know what else you can see? Stars at night.
“Lots of stars,” she says. “Lots and lots of stars. And fireflies, wildlife, so much.”
Ray of Sunshine Camping and Glamping is now open. For more information, visit their website at rayofsunshinecamping.com.
Photos by Ava Grace.
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