Hiking Merit Badge

Tips for Earning This Badge

• 1Do not skip the shorter hikes — they build the stamina you need for the 20-miler and are required anyway.
• 2Start in spring or fall to avoid summer heat on the longer hikes.
• 3Keep a simple hike log from your very first hike: date, trail, miles, conditions, and who you went with.
• 4The 20-mile hike in a day requires conditioning. Most scouts who struggle on it skipped the buildup hikes.
• 5Counselors want to see a real log with some texture to it — weather, terrain, how you felt — not just distances copied into a spreadsheet after the fact.
• 6A common pitfall: scheduling the 20-mile hike solo. It needs planning around daylight, water resupply, and often a second adult or buddy — treat it like a real expedition, not a long walk.