Join Us

The California Alpine Club is an all-volunteer, outdoors-oriented, non-profit social club. If you have a love of the outdoors, enjoy socializing with other outdoor enthusiasts, are willing to volunteer, and are at least 18 years of age, we invite you to consider the benefits of joining the California Alpine Club.

Membership Fees

Entry Fee: Regular Membership $20; Joint Membership $30 Annual Dues: Regular Membership $150; Joint Membership: $245 Student (18-26 y.o.): $20

Why Join?

There are many benefits. As a member you can:

  • Participate in regular Sunday Hikes on Mt Tamalpais. Most hikes begin and end at Alpine Lodge and usually finish with a social gathering and light refreshments. Some mid-week hikes are also offered.
  • Enjoy a year-long series of organized Club social and overnight events, such as the July 4th Hike/BBQ, a New Year’s Hike and Soup Lunch, COOP MEALS with hosted overnights, Kids and Family Snow-Play weekends.
  • Reserve Alpine or Echo Summit lodge for your own stay or on a short-term sharing basis, availability permitting. Overnight accommodations are economical. In the spirit of the Club’s emphasis on leave-no-trace and volunteerism, everyone helps out.
  • Explore nature’s bounty in the company of fellow California Alpine Club members on any of our Into the Great Outdoors club outing multi-day adventures. Member designed and led outings include weekend camping trips, canoeing or kayaking in some of the West’s most beautiful rivers, backpacking, and mule-pack base-camp expeditions to name just a few.
  • Enjoy reciprocal member-benefits with other FWOC (Federation of Western Outdoor Clubs) clubs throughout the western United States.

How to Join

To become eligible for membership in the California Alpine Club, each adult prospective member must participate in at least two Club Events within the 12-month period immediately preceding submission of the membership application form:

At least one of the Club Events must be active participation in a scheduled work party at Alpine Lodge. To find out when the next work party is, fill out a workparty inquiry on our Contact Us page. The Alpine Lodge work party will include a new member orientation session that addresses the expectations and benefits of membership, including the Club’s purpose, lodge operations, hikes, outings, an abbreviated club history, and emphasis on volunteerism. When necessary, the Membership Chair will assist in finding a suitable alternate work project or event that will qualify for membership.

The other qualifying Club Event can be a second work event or your choice of the Club Events that are scheduled and open to all members on the Club’s social calendar and/or advertised in the Trails newsletter. These may include a Board-sponsored social event, a member-organized Club social event, a member-hosted overnight at either Lodge*, a second work party at Alpine Lodge, or a weekly member Sunday hike.

*For an overnight stay to qualify as one of the two Club Events, the overnight host should sign the membership application form as the sponsor for that event.

To find out about scheduled activities, contact our Membership Chairperson through the Membership Inquiry form. Participating in Sunday morning hikes on Mt. Tam are a great place to start.

Before attending your first activity, print out a copy of the Membership Application form and bring it with you. You will need to have your application signed by two sponsors. Event hosts, work party hosts, and hike leaders are potential sponsors as are members in good standing.

With two Club Events and two sponsor signatures, you are now ready to submit your application. Mail your completed application form and fees to the CAC Membership Chairperson, along with your check made payable to “California Alpine Club.”

If you have additional questions, contact the Membership Chair at cacmembers.org.

Once you have received your welcome letter by email, you are considered a Club member and may participate in Club activities and use the lodges at member rates. Once the Board of Directors approves your application—which may take a couple of months—you will have full voting rights and may become an officeholder in the Club.

Membership Expectations

The California Alpine Club is an organization built on volunteerism. Volunteering keeps our Club operating effectively and brings our members together as a community.

CAC lodges are maintained and operated by the membership. To keep our co-op prices low, members are expected to contribute to Club operations at least once a year. There are various ways to fulfill this expectation, including participating in a work event, hosting at our lodges, performing volunteer tasks, serving in a leadership role or on one of our standing committees.