Volunteer

Help Support the Parks

One of California’s most beloved places would not be the natural jewel it is without the fine efforts of all its volunteers. As the official non-profit partner of Mount Tamalpais State Park, Friends of Mt Tam works together with the California State Park system to recruit new volunteers and help support park programs.

If you enjoy spending time in nature, giving back to the community, sharing your knowledge with others, and promoting conservation and stewardship, come volunteer at Mount Tamalpais State Park!

For more information on volunteering programs for the State Park and for Friends of Mt Tam, email: friendsofmttam@gmail.com

State Park Volunteer Opportunities

For official State Park Volunteer information, please see the MTSP Website.

Visitor Center and Gravity Car Barn Museum Docents

The Visitor Center and the Gravity Car Barn Museum are often the places where visitors start their visit and get information about the mountain. VC/Museum Docents are trained to answer questions, and direct visitors to activities in the park that best meet their needs. With some interpretive training, VC/Museum Docents can also deliver short talks and demos about the cultural and natural resources of the mountain. Finally, VC/Museum docents will help with items sales such as books, maps, or T-shirts.

Interpretive Hike Docents

Want to share the stories the mountain has to tell? Then become an interpretive hike docent! Hike docents deliver thoughtful guided programs to inspire and connect visitors to the natural and cultural resources of the park while walking along the trails. Training for Hike Docents occurs once a year in the fall and is led by the State Park Program Coordinator.

Visit the official State Park website for more information regarding the official State Park Hike Docent Training Program.

Trail Crew

Give back to the mountain by clearing trails, replacing worn out fences, and helping to remove non-native plant species!

The Trail Crew meets every third Tuesday of the month. Recruitment for Trail Crew volunteers is ongoing, but in order to become long term, trail volunteers will have to complete the Volunteer in the Parks Program Training, which is offered once/year, usually in late summer or early fall. To find out how you can join the trail crew, please visit the MTSP website and send an email to the supervising ranger to express your interest. 

If your company or group would like to organize a volunteer trail crew event let us know.

Volunteers Get Perks!

  • Mount Tamalpais State Park Volunteers who give 40 hours/year or more receive a Bay Area District State Parks annual parking pass!
    Parks include: Tomales Bay, Olompali SHP, China Camp, Samuel P. Taylor,  Mt Tamalpais, Candlestick, Petaluma Adobe, Robert Louis Stevenson, Jack London, Sugarloaf, and Annadel.
  • State Park volunteers who give 200 hours or more a year receive a free annual parking pass for all California state parks.
  • State Parks also offers a Docent Enrichment Program in the form of lectures or fieldtrips so that you can continue learning about cultural heritage, natural history, and interpretation!

Friends of Mt Tam Volunteer Opportunities

As the official non profit partner organization for Mt Tam State Park, Friends of Mt Tam volunteers help support the State Park in a variety of tasks.

To become a Friends of Mount Tam volunteer, email friendsofmttam@gmail.com

Astronomy Program

With 300-500 people on the mountain during the terrific monthly astronomy programs, This popular program can use a few extra hands to help plan, set up and greet people. You never know – you might learn something! And how could you pass up an evening under the stars above the fog?
Be a greeter or help with setup and parking. Do one or more monthly star nights! Enjoy this family friendly evening under the stars and volunteer at the same time! Volunteers always needed!

Hike Leaders

Like to hike Mt Tam? Want to get some physical exercise? Whether you’re an experienced trail runner or just want to learn the trails, you can help Friends of Mt Tam by doing the thing you love most: hiking in the beautiful outdoors. Become a hike leader and help guide others along the many winding trails in the State Park.

Special Events

Help staff the Friends of Mt Tam trailer aka TAMI at the various special events hosted on the mountain. Some yearly events include the historic Mountain Play (May-June) and the Sound Summit. Enjoy the festivities while also promoting the mission of FMT and recruiting new members.

…and More!

Know how to craft an application for funding? Want to help answer questions received from our website and keep our members informed? Interested in using social media to help promote our mission? Are you a tech wiz?
It takes a lot of work to manage a non-profit. We are always looking for volunteers to help with tasks like:

  • coordinating fundraising events to raise funds in support of a variety of park’s programs and projects
  • managing communications, social media, and updating the website
  • grant writing and editing our newsletter
  • researching Mt Tam history
  • updating our loop hikes and mountain bike routes
  • volunteer training and coordination
  • serving as an FMT board member

Contact us and let us know your interests to learn how you can help!