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Hiking

Scouts BSA · Merit Badge · Outdoors, Eagle-required

Printable worksheet (PDF)

Hiking is about building endurance and confidence one trail at a time. You'll prepare your body, learn to hike safely and responsibly, and work up to some long days on the trail. It's one of the Eagle-required choices, and the views make it worth every step.

Why it's worth it

Twenty miles in one day sounds impossible until you've done it, and then you know you can do hard things. Hiking takes you to lakes, ridgelines, and quiet places most people never see. You'll learn to read your body, pace a group, and handle blisters and weather before they turn into trouble. It's one of the Eagle-required choices, and the endurance it builds will help you on backpacking trips, at high adventure bases, and in any sport you play.

Start this week

  1. Take a 2- or 3-mile walk this week in the shoes you plan to hike in, and notice where they rub.
  2. Ask your Scoutmaster for the name of a Hiking counselor, and send them a short message with a parent copied to set up a first meeting.
  3. Write a simple conditioning plan for requirement 3 and put it on a calendar, starting with short walks and building up each week.
  4. Look at the troop calendar for long hikes, and find three or four trails nearby that could make a 10-mile day.

Plan ahead: Requirement 4's five long hikes take the most time, so start your conditioning plan (3) right away and space the 10-milers out. Write the requirement 5 report after each hike, not all at the end.

Stay safe

  • Hike with a buddy and an adult, leave your route and return time with someone at home, and turn back if weather or injuries make it unsafe.
  • Carry plenty of water, drink before you're thirsty, and know the signs of heat exhaustion and hypothermia.

Requirements · 5

Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).

  1. Requirement 1

    Safety and first aid

    Tips for this section: Learn first aid for things hikers see most, like blisters, sprains, heat, cold, and dehydration.

    Example for this section: Practice a scenario: halfway through a hot hike, a buddy is sweating heavily, pale, and dizzy. Explain how you'd spot heat exhaustion, get them into shade, cool them down, give water, and send for help.

    1. Requirement 1a

      Explain to your counselor the hazards you're most likely to face on a hike and how to anticipate, prevent, reduce, and respond to them

    2. Requirement 1b

      Show you know first aid for hiking injuries and illnesses, including blisters, sprained ankle, sunburn, dehydration, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, hypothermia, frostbite, hyperventilation, altitude sickness, insect stings, tick bites, and snakebite

  2. Requirement 2

    Good hiking practices

    Tips for this section: Practice Leave No Trace and the Outdoor Code on every outing, not just the long hikes.

    Example for this section: Show your trip plan: route, a map, water sources, the weather forecast, when you'll be back, and who at home has a copy. Then explain how your group will stay on the trail and pack out every wrapper.

    1. Requirement 2a

      Explain and, where you can, demonstrate good hiking habits: outdoor ethics, safety on day and night hikes, courtesy to others, picking footwear, and caring for your feet and footwear

    2. Requirement 2b

      Say from memory or read aloud the Seven Principles of Leave No Trace, and talk about why each one matters on the trail

    3. Requirement 2c

      Recite or read aloud the Outdoor Code and give examples of following it on a hike

  3. Requirement 3

    Explain why hiking counts as aerobic exercise. Make a plan to get in shape for 10-mile hikes, and describe how you'll build fitness for longer ones

    Tip: Make a plan that builds up gradually, like longer walks and stair climbing a few times a week.

    For example: A conditioning plan might start with three 30-minute walks a week, add stairs or hills in week two, and a 5-mile weekend hike in week three, building toward 8 miles before your first 10-miler.

  4. Requirement 4

    Hike 10 miles on four separate days and 20 miles on another day, each one of continuous miles. Before each, write a hike plan (map route, clothing and gear list, trail lunch items) and get it approved by your counselor or a designee. Short rests and one meal are fine; no overnight stops

    Tip: Plan routes with your counselor and hike with a buddy and adult. Start with the 10-mile hikes to get ready for the 20.

    For example: A 10-mile hike might be a loop trail in a state park: start by 8 a.m., take a 10-minute break every hour, eat lunch at the halfway point, and check feet for hot spots at every stop.

    1. Requirement 4a

      First 10-mile hike

    2. Requirement 4b

      Second 10-mile hike

    3. Requirement 4c

      Third 10-mile hike

    4. Requirement 4d

      Fourth 10-mile hike

    5. Requirement 4e

      20-mile hike

  5. Requirement 5

    After each requirement 4 hike (or during it, if done as one continuous trek), write a short report: date, route description or map, weather, interesting sights, and challenges and how you met them. It may include what you learned about yourself, nature, or your fellow hikers. Share it with your counselor

    Tip: Write your report soon after each hike while it's fresh. Include the route, the weather, and what you learned.

    For example: Each report can be short: date, route and distance, weather, who went, the hardest moment, something you saw, and one thing you'd do differently. Add a map or photo of the trail if you like.

Places to visit

Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.

  • A state park or national forest ranger station

    Rangers know which trails make good 10-mile and 20-mile routes and what conditions to expect this season.

    How: Have an adult call or stop by the visitor center and ask for trail maps and route suggestions for a Scout group.

  • A trail maintenance workday

    You'll see how trails are built to stand up to weather and feet, and give back to the places you hike.

    How: Have an adult contact a park or local trail club and ask about youth-friendly volunteer days your patrol could join.

Where it can lead

  • Park rangerTakes care of trails and visitors in parks and teaches people about the land.
  • Trail crew memberBuilds and repairs trails; seasonal crews are open to older teens and young adults.
  • Outdoor educatorLeads hikes and teaches outdoor skills at camps, schools, and nature centers.
  • Search and rescue volunteerUses hiking and navigation skills to help find people who are lost or hurt.

Ask yourself

  • What's the longest walk or hike you've done so far, and how did you feel at the end?
  • When a hike got tough, what did you tell yourself to keep going?
  • How do you help someone in your group who is struggling to keep up?
  • What did you learn about your gear and your feet from each long hike?
  • Where would you like to hike someday, and what would it take to get there?

Good questions to ask your counselor or an experienced hiker

  • How did you get ready for your first really long hike?
  • What do you do the moment you feel a blister starting?
  • How do you decide when a group should turn back?
  • What's in your pack on every hike, no matter how short?
  • What's the most memorable trail you've hiked, and why?

Helpful reads

For leaders & parents

  • Build a troop hiking calendar with progressively longer hikes so Scouts can earn this badge together.
  • Check routes, weather, and water sources ahead of time, and have a plan for anyone who needs to turn back.

People & places that can help

Pairs well with

Any one of these counts for Eagle

Helps you earn

Into this? Explore more

Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.