Requirement
4. Five hikes, five days, five approved plans
Required Often forgotten
Four 10-mile hikes and one 20-mile hike, each on a different day and each of continuous miles. A written hike plan before each one, shared with your counselor or a designee for approval before you start.
Notes and warnings
Warning. The written hike plan is prepared BEFORE the hike and approved BEFORE you start walking: by your counselor or a designee. Five hikes means five plans and five approvals. Miles walked ahead of an approved plan are the commonest way to lose work on this badge, because there is no way to put them right afterwards.
Warning. Each hike is on a different day and each is of continuous miles. Two hikes cannot be stacked into one long day, and a 10-mile hike cannot be assembled from shorter walks. That makes this badge a matter of at least five separate days. Start it early rather than close to a deadline.
Note. The plan covers map routes, a clothing and equipment list, and a list of what goes in the trail lunch. As many short rests as you need are allowed, and one meal during each hike. An extended break such as an overnight ends the hike rather than pausing it.
What this is made of
Where this step comes from
- Hiking Merit Badge Requirements (Merit Badge Hub, last modified 2026-02-19), Requirement 4 · Sets all of it: the four 10-mile hikes and the 20-mile hike, each on a different day, each of continuous miles, and the written plan approved before the hike starts.