There are some very good suggestions here. I definitely suggest Bates, but it’s not a safety or match. My daughter attends, she is totally not preppy. There are some preppy kids, but it’s probably the least preppy of the three in Maine.
I also highly recommend New Paltz as a safety or match. Whitman too, but not a safety. What about Juniata?
Bates is great suggestion. My son is a junior and varsity athlete. He has hiked most of Maine by now and was a leader this year on the orientation camping trip to Acadia. Most people seem to be unaware that Bates also owns one of the nicest beaches in all of Maine and I am told many students visit regularly. The Outdoor Club has a very high participation rate. I think the look is “urban prep” not the prep you see at Catholic schools. If you are coming from another part of the country Bates is travel friendly due to its proximity to Portland. Bates and Bowdoin are very close so you can visit both on the same day.
Another outdoorsy school would be St. Lawrence.
Allegheny and Juniata are both worth a look based on your criteria. You’ll be at the top of their applicant pools and therefore should qualify for significant merit aid/scholarships.
Good luck - obviously not a safety and with the any highly selective college its a reach even when one profiles - that said, show Hamilton that you fit within the Hamily and I think they’ll pick you too!
Thank you @janjmom @HootieA @Lindagaf @PureShores @intparent and everyone else!! Also, important detail: I am not straight if that changes anything? (I’m definitely not looking into religious schools). While I have found that most these schools have some sort of LGBT presence/support on campus, do any of you have insight into LGBT life at any of these schools? (This type of info tends to be hard to find online).
@Chembiodad Yeah, obviously not a safety but definitely a nice reach 
Again, thank you for sharing your insight.
For outdoorsy I would suggest Middlebury. It’s outdoors club is large and active and the campus has views of Vermont’s Green Mountains and New York’s Adirondack Mountains. The school’s own trials link up to 20+ miles of trails known as the Trail around Middlebury. The school’s Breadloaf Campus provides additional trails in the mountains and is groomed in winter for cross country skiing. It’s Snow Bowl downhill skiing is nearby. It is the first school to offer a major in environmental studies. It is not a safety school however.
I have looked into many of the schools named in this thread for my own child, and many of our favorites are represented here.
You asked for matches as well as reaches, and I think you might want to look at Skidmore.
Very socially progressive, great for LGBTQ+, and a perfect location for hiking,in the beautiful town of Saratoga Springs, right near the Adirondacks, which the students regularly use for hiking, canoeing, etc.
There is something very special about the campus environment there. It was warm and wonderful.
Some posters do not care for its modern architecture. We thought it was attractive enough, and the trees and lawns and “north woods” (wilderness) portions of campus make it lovely.
https://www.campusprideindex.org/ is an online database detailing LGBTQ life on college campuses.
Any school known for social justice these days is going to be a good LGBTQ school, too. What about Pitzer?
@intparent Yeah, it’s just intersecting that aspect and the outdoorsy thing gets a little tricky? I dunno. As for Pitzer, I am generally avoiding California schools, save for a small LAC I applied to. I do like Pitzer & Pomona, though, esp. the orientation adventures/close proximity to mountain ranges etc. My only concern w/Pitzer is that it has a reputation of being a pot-smoking hippie school. (Same with Bard) Lol. I have no problems with pot smoking hippies per se, but I am looking for a place where students are excited to learn & “intellectually curious” both inside & outside of the classroom.
Your best bets are Bowdoin, Bates, Williams and Hamilton, as well as St. Lawrence for the big merit award option. Skidmore is an interesting idea as well. Hmmm Middlebury too, maybe my 1980’s view as the preppy powerhouse of the NE is outdated. Just so you know, B,B, W, M & H have a pretty high percentage of athletes since the schools field 30 or more teams. Perhaps 40% of students are on a varsity team.
Yes, Pitzer is a bit of a pot smoking hippie school. But remember you have the whole Claremont consortium for classes and socializing, and to find outdoor buddies to do stuff with. My kid at one of the 5Cs became an avid hiker in the mountains near campus, and enjoyed several trips to Joshua Tree with fellow students who had cars while she was there. What about Scripps? It definitely hits the social justice and LGBTQ friendly vibe, and there are a lot of outdoorsy people on the 5Cs campuses. And you get great weather year around (which my Midwestern kid loved).
Or Colorado College, a non-isolated outdoorsy LAC at the edge of the Rockies.
CC is in a pretty conservative community, though.
I like Hamilton as a low reach (but def within reason) as a first choice and Skidmore as a match. You can’t go wrong with either for outdoor sports and collaborative and friendly atmospheres. I would suggest that Bates is also a low reach and worth considering.
My friend’s S who is incredibly outdoorsy (hiked the Pacific Crest Trail during a gap year, climbs mountains regularly, etc.) graduated from St. Lawrence University. It has an active outing club, and activities include Peak Weekend, where students climb all 46 peaks over 4000 ft in the Adirondacks.
I know the plural of anecdote is not data, thanks to @skieurope , but I know several women who went to St. Lawrence who are super-outdoorsy. - i.e., work as climbing guides. It is always hard to know if one just ended up meeting a bunch of people from one outlier group or if that bunch is representative. Not sure how social justice -y the school is… But it does dovetail with @college_query 's story.
The big problem with most of these suggestions is that many of these schools are NOT known for good financial aid. Colorado College, for example isn’t known to be terribly generous.
To me, driving an hour to go hiking isn’t what most kids are looking for. Open the door, walk out into nature.