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★ Eagle requiredEdition 2026Active Merit Badge
Hiking
Official Requirements & Fillable Workbook · 2026 Edition
Hiking is an Eagle-required badge focusing on endurance, trail safety, meticulous planning, and outdoor ethics. You will learn hiking first aid and footwear selection, practice Leave No Trace principles and the Outdoor Code, design a conditioning plan for distance trekking, prepare written hike plans for five major treks, complete four 10-mile hikes and one 20-mile hike (60 miles total), and compile reflective post-hike reports.
Key Requirements Covered:
- Hiking Gear, Footwear & Blister Care
- Trail Navigation, Maps & Terrain Reading
- Hydration, Energy & Trail First Aid
- Completing Hikes: 5, 10, 15 & 20-Mile Treks
6Printable Pages
5Requirements
2023Reqs Revised
What is on the worksheet: Hiking Requirements
Every requirement for the Hiking merit badge, word for word as published, with room to write under each one on the printed worksheet.
1Hiking Hazards and Trail First Aid
Do the following:
- a Explain to your counselor the most likely hazards you may encounter while hiking, and what you should do to anticipate, help prevent, mitigate, and respond to these hazards.
- b Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while hiking, including hypothermia, frostbite, dehydration, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, sunburn, hyperventilation, altitude sickness, sprained ankle, blisters, insect stings, tick bites, and snakebite.
2Good Hiking Practices, Leave No Trace, and Outdoor Code
Do the following:
- a Explain and, where possible, show the points of good hiking practices including proper outdoor ethics, hiking safety in the daytime and at night, courtesy to others, choice of footwear, and proper care of feet and footwear.
- b Read aloud or recite the Leave No Trace Seven Principles, and discuss why each is important while hiking.
- c Read aloud or recite the Outdoor Code, and give examples of how to follow it on a hike.
3Aerobic Conditioning Plan
Explain how hiking is an aerobic activity. Develop a plan for conditioning yourself for 10-mile hikes, and describe how you will increase your fitness for longer hikes.
4Five Required Hikes and Written Pre-Hike Plans
Take four 10-mile hikes and one 20-mile hike, each on a different day, and each of continuous miles. Prepare a written hike plan before each hike and share it with your counselor or a designee for approval before starting the hike. Include map routes, a clothing and equipment list, and a list of items for a trail lunch. You may stop for as many short rest periods as needed, as well as one meal, during each hike, but not for an extended period such as overnight.
- a 10-mile hike #1
- b 10-mile hike #2
- c 10-mile hike #3
- d 10-mile hike #4
- e 20-mile hike
5Post-Hike Reports
After each of the hikes (or during each hike if on one continuous trek) in requirement 4, write a short report on your hike. For each hike, give the date and description (or map) of the route covered, the weather, any interesting things you saw, and any challenges you had and how you overcame them. It may include something you learned about yourself, about the outdoors, or about others you were hiking with. Share this with your counselor.
Two dates, two different things
Requirements Revision vs. Worksheet Date
Scouting America last revised the Hiking requirements in 2023. That is the badge, not this sheet — an older year does not mean the worksheet is out of date.
Verbatim Fidelity & Verification
This worksheet was checked against https://www.scouting.org/merit-badges/hiking/ in Aug 2026 and reproduces the requirements word for word. Both dates are printed on the sheet, so a copy in a binder can always be placed in time.
Requirement text is © Scouting America, reproduced verbatim. The worksheet layout and design are original to this project.
Spotted a discrepancy on this sheet? Tell us and we will re-check it against the official requirements.
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