Volunteers
Volunteer with the Angeles National Forest
The Angeles National Forest, which includes the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument, has a large and vibrant volunteer program. Volunteers play a major role in the stewardship of our public lands and work in almost every area of the forest.
Join our volunteer team and become a steward of the forest! Nationwide, you will join a team of more than 3.1 million volunteers who, since 1972, have provided more than 136 million hours of service valued at over $1.8 billion.
Volunteers may also earn an America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreation Lands Pass or a Southern California Adventure Pass for their contributions to the Angeles National Forest.
Many schools, churches, community groups, friends groups, businesses, and others have contributed their time and resources.
Almost any U.S. citizen or permanent resident can volunteer for the Forest Service, subject to a few restrictions.
The requirements are:
- Service Description – The service description and essential eligibility criteria establish the nondiscriminatory basic functions, and therefore the abilities, required for volunteer service in the individual position or project. A volunteer must be able to meet all of the elements within the service description. Local volunteer coordinators or supervisors write these criteria for each volunteer position. Office of Personnel Management qualification requirements (position descriptions) don’t apply.
- Age – volunteer under the age of 18 must have written consent (OF-301a) of his or her parent or guardian to enroll. Federal and State child labor laws apply.
- Citizenship – Foreign nationals must apply through the Forest Service’s International Visitor Program before volunteering. Permanent residents (green card holders) may volunteer the same as citizens. Find out more about the International Visitor Program.
Volunteers give interpretive talks, conduct artist workshops, staff fire lookouts, work with school groups, monitor endemic species, plant bushes and trees in burned areas, pick up litter, build trails, rove wilderness areas, study stream conditions, provide information at visitor centers, and so much more.
Volunteers are the heartbeat of the forest, contributing enthusiasm, skills, and time towards Caring for the Land and Serving People.
If you're looking for a volunteer outing or one-time commitment, consider joining a scheduled Single-Day Volunteer Event. They're designed for volunteers to show up, learn the project and safety information, and contribute for a day.
If you're looking for more than one day of volunteering, consider joining a Volunteer Group or signing up as an Individual Volunteer. Types of volunteer work can vary by activity and/or season.
Visit our partner’s website, trailangeles.org, to learn more about volunteer groups and how to join one today.
Documents for Volunteers
Get Started!
Individual volunteer positions generally last at least 30 days or are involved in specific short-term projects. However, many individual volunteers have been assisting with their projects for years. Individual volunteers serve as campground hosts, maintenance support, visitor information assistants, researchers, and help with other important work.
If you’re looking for an occasional volunteer project or event, check out single-day volunteer events, such as National Public Lands Day. We also encourage you to support our active volunteer groups; they’re always seeking new volunteers for single-day events.
If you’d like to become an individual volunteer, please email a completed:
The forest's volunteer coordinator processes volunteer applications regularly and will try to partner you with an active volunteer group. Volunteers are required to complete job-specific training and may be required to pass a background investigation.
Track Your Volunteer Hours
Your group, whether a scout troop, church or religious group, family, school, co-workers, or a bunch of similarly interested individuals, can volunteer together.
Take a look at some of our active volunteer groups. You might want to join one instead of or before starting your own group.
Volunteer groups work in each of our disciplines and work takes place year-round across the forest. We generally request groups to “adopt an area,” whether it be a research project, picnic area, stream, or trail and commit to a minimum number of workdays a year.
If you’re interested in your group becoming a volunteer group, please submit a completed
Be sure to indicate this is for a group. Upon submittal, you’ll receive a generic response.
The volunteer coordinator processes applications monthly and will invite your group to an upcoming volunteer orientation. Prior to beginning their work, volunteer groups must go through a volunteer orientation, job-specific training, and members may need to pass a background check. Some of the orientation is available to complete online, other parts are in person. These will help your group be successful, and members enjoy their volunteer experience.
Minors volunteering with a group need an individual volunteer agreement. Please notify the volunteer coordinator if minors are group members.
Active Volunteer Groups
Fire Lookout volunteers are dedicated to preserving historic fire lookouts in the forest and protecting the natural environment through fire detection and environmental education. Volunteers provide an enjoyable experience for members of the public. They strive to increase the public's awareness of fire lookouts' roles in the conservation of the forest.
Interested volunteers should visit www.anffla.org to be notified of upcoming opportunities for training and other events.
The Angeles Volunteer Association (AVA) is a public service organization dedicated to the preservation and care of the Angeles National Forest and the San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. These volunteers assist the USDA Forest Service in staffing the Crystal Lake Visitor Center and San Gabriel Canyon Gateway Visitor Center. They answer visitors' questions about camping, picnicking, hiking, fishing, and other outdoor activities.
Interested volunteers should visit Angeles Volunteer Association.
Bear Canyon Trail Crew is dedicated to maintaining the Bear Canyon Trail in the Angeles National Forest. The 5-mile Bear Canyon Trail traverses the front range of the San Gabriel Mountains connecting the Gabrielino National Recreation Trail with the Mt. Lowe Fire Road. Due to its location in a narrow canyon, flooding and fallen trees are major problems. Work is focused on making the trail passable for hikers.
- Contact Bear Canyon Trail Crew
- Join Bear Canyon Trail Crew's Meetup Group
The Concerned Off-Road Bicyclists Association (CORBA) is an all-volunteer non-profit organization serving the mountain-biking community of the Greater Los Angeles area, including the Rim of the Valley corridor. CORBA is dedicated to preserving open space, maintaining access to public lands, and improving and expanding trail opportunities for all to enjoy. CORBA conducts volunteer trail maintenance at the Angeles National Forest, Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation area, and surrounding open spaces and public lands.
CORBA's Mission: We are passionate about mountain biking, public trails, and preserving our open space for future generations. CORBA is committed to ensuring equal access for all trail users, and to contributing to everyone's enjoyment of the trails. CORBA organizes and coordinates activities that support mountain-biking recreation and that promotes the conservation, administration, and the maintenance of our public lands.
- Contact CORBA
- Join CORBA's Meetup Group
The primary mission of the Fisheries Resource Volunteer Corps (FRVC) is to protect and monitor 14 wild trout streams and 4 tributaries of these streams in the Angeles and San Bernardino national forests through regular stream patrols by trained FRVC volunteers, who perform various tasks while on patrol. Much of our work involves interacting with forest visitors while answering their questions and making them aware of camping, fire, fishing, and safety regulations.
- Contact FRVC
Habitat Works supports stewardship volunteers caring for wildland ecosystems through habitat improvement projects on national forests and wildlife refuges, state parks, and private preserves in Southern California.
- Contact Habitat Works at 1-818-353-4653 or wildlife@habitatwork.org
Mt. Wilson Bicycling Association's (MWBA’s) mission is to bring out the best in our community by encouraging low-impact riding, volunteer trail work participation, cooperation among different trail user groups, innovative trail management solutions, and grassroots advocacy. Our advocacy goes beyond speaking on behalf of our community; we encourage and foster its growth. We educate mountain bikers on trail etiquette not only with each other but also with other user groups and, most importantly, we promote and organize regular trail maintenance days in the San Gabriel Mountains.
- Contact or visit MWBA's site to view upcoming trail maintenance projects
Restoration Legacy Crew (RLC) is an all-volunteer public service organization dedicated to restoring and maintaining hiking trails within the Angeles National Forest. Current focus areas are the Dawn Mine Trail, Tom Sloan Trail, and trails within the Chantry Flat area.
- Contact RLC
The San Gabriel Mountains Heritage Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, is working to preserve historic and natural treasures in the Angeles National Forest through educational programs for schools, families, and other groups. We know that lasting bonds with nature are formed in childhood. Our school programs plant seeds that not only deepen understanding of the natural and cultural history of this unique landscape, they plant seeds of wonder and appreciation. Like all of us, children will grow to cherish and preserve what they love. Our role is to provide a place for this to happen. "Preservation through education."
Along with programming, our group supports the Angeles National Forest by staffing visitor centers and maintaining educational exhibits.
The San Gabriel Mountains Trailbuilders (SGMTB) is a non-profit public service organization dedicated to constructing and maintaining hiking trails in the San Gabriel Mountains in Southern California. The primary task is maintaining hiking and nature trails throughout the Angeles National Forest and San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. However, SGMTB also performs bridge-building and repairs, hiking trails, fire mitigation activities, removing or covering graffiti and vandalism, and repairing and replacing trail signs.
- Interested volunteers should contact Ben White at 626-303-1078
- Email SGMTB
TreePeople is an environmental nonprofit organization whose mission is to inspire, engage, and support people to take personal responsibility for the urban environment, making it safe, healthy, fun, and sustainable,and to share our process as a model for the world.
TreePeople inspires and supports the people of Los Angeles to come together to plant and care for trees, harvest the rain, and renew depleted landscapes. We unite with communities to grow a greener, shadier, and more water-secure city at homes, neighborhoods, schools and in the local mountains.
- Email TreePeople
Volunteers of the Angeles National Forest (VANF) staff the Big Pines Visitor Center and supply information, directions, and education to the public by means of our knowledge of the area, pictorial displays and video presentations of forest lore, as well as our extensive display of preserved local animals, birds, and reptiles.
- Email VANF
- Acton Illegal Dumping Task Force
- America's Great Outdoors--LA County Fair
- Angeles Crest 100 & ANF Trail Race
- Angeles Mountain Bike Patrol
- Arroyo Seco Canyon
- Big Pines Volunteers
- California Trail Users Coalition
- Community Hiking Club
- Chilao Visitor Center Volunteers
- Citrus College Class FOR698A
- Crescenta Valley Trail Crew
- East Fork's Golden Preservation
- Foot Safari
- Friends of Echo Mountain
- Friends of the San Gabriels
- Generation Green Environmental Club - John Muir High School
- Greater LA Area Council- High Adventure Team
- High Country Riders
- HistoriCorps
- Hollywood Impact Studios
- JPL Trailbuilders
- Lowelifes Respectable Citizens' Club
- Mis Hermanos Pequinitos/My Little Brothers
- Off Highway Volunteer Resources Corps
- Pearblossom Rural Town Council
- Quail Forever - San Gabriel Valley Chapter
- Quail and Upland Wildlife Federation - Santa Clarita Valley Chapter
- Ridge Route Preservation Organization
- Scenic Mount Lowe Railway Historical Committee
- Scouting America - Greater LA Scouting
- Sierra Club - Angeles Chapter
- SoCal Hikers & Trail Builders
- Tujunga Trails Posse
William Hart Trails