LordSaru I'm afraid that's the thing... forums are going down, I'm not sure if there is some recover in sight. Only thing that could really turn things upside down atm I reckon is federated forums (like activitypub), for the rest they are doomed to be very nichey things. Discourse is working on that kind of integration.
I host a successful forum, but it's been up for 5 years, I started the community elsewhere like 12 years ago and is basically the only one in its niche, so it has its boosts.
Forums have a very strong snowball effect: once content flows and users are active more content flows and more users are active. At the beginning it can feel just like pushing a rock uphill.
You niche, camping and hiking, is filled with competitors, I'd say you need to put incentives for users and see what's really missing in the world. Organizing activities through the forum, prizes, and such. As i see it now is little more than a blog with a very well done commenting system, but you want discussions!
