The Jeep Badge of Honor hard badges on the side of my Jeep never fail to spark conversations with Jeep enthusiasts everywhere I travel.
What really surprises me is how many Jeepers have never heard of the Jeep Badge of Honor program.
I can’t tell you how many times my fellow Jeep enthusiasts have pointed to my Jeep Badge of Honor badges and said, “Hey, those are really cool! Where did you get them?” Others who had heard of the program were still a bit confused about how the program works.
Don’t worry; I’m about to fix all that.
Whether you’ve heard of the program or not, this article is for you.
Just in case you’re interested, you can see a full list of all the Jeep Badge of Honor Trails we’ve personally conquered here.
NOTE: In July of 2019 Jeep updated the look and feel of the Jeep Badge of Honor Badges. You can read and discuss that here: New Jeep Badge Of Honor.
Jeep Badge of Honor Program: What Is It?
First let me start by saying the Jeep Badge of Honor program is only available to Jeep owners. The program is completely free and the badges look amazing!
Three Jeep Badge of Honor hard badges I received after visiting Superlift ORV Park in Hot Springs, Arkansas. This was the letter that accompanied the badges.So, if you are a non-Jeeper, just stop reading now. Yes, Toyota guy, I’m talking to you. This program is only for Jeep owners. (Technically, anyone can download the app, but only Jeep owners can receive the badges.)
The Jeep Badge of Honor Program is essentially a free app for your iPhone or Android.
The app allows you to discover trails, earn hard badges, and engage with other Jeep enthusiasts online as part of the official Jeep community.
It should be noted that the Jeep Badge of Honor program is the only official off-road program that is entirely owned, operated, and developed by the Jeep brand and FCA US LLC.
Of the hundreds of thousands of legal off-road trails in the U.S.A., Jeep has designated only 49 of them as Jeep Badge of Honor trails (as of this writing in April 2018).
I’ve started to review Badge of Honor Trails I’ve run individually. I’ll add them here as I publish those articles:
Cedar Tree Trail
Don’t ask me about the criteria Jeep used to select the 49 trails they have listed because I don’t know. If I had to guess, based on the trails they’ve selected, I would say Jeep selected them based on difficulty, technical challenge level, historical significance, and the overall beauty of the trail.
Jeep Badge of Honor Program: How Do I Get Started?
Really easy, it is a simple, three-step process.
The iPhone App icon for the Jeep Badge of Honor Program looks like this.Step 1: Download the free Jeep Badge of Honor app.
iPhone users click here.
Android users click here.
Step 2: Browse the Jeep Badge of Honor trails.
My home screen on the Jeep Badge of Honor app currently shows Schnebly Hill Road, since it is closest to me.The home screen of the app will show you the nearest qualifying trail to your current location. It will also show you the current temperature at the trailhead and how many hours of daylight remain. Pretty nifty, eh?
The map screen on the Jeep Badge of Honor app is the most used screen. Here you can explore. The blue dot on the map represents my current position as I’m writing this in Flagstaff, Arizona.The map screen will show you your current position on the map with a blue dot. It will also show you all of the Jeep Badge of Honor trails, and where they are located in relation to your current position.
You can click on the trails by name or by location on the map itself to learn more. The map screen will also show you the difficulty level of each of the trails on the right hand side of its name.
Step 3: Drive to a Jeep Badge of Honor trail and check in!
Once you’ve selected the trail you want to run, get your Jeep out to the trail. When you are are at the trailhead, the app will recognize you are there.
Simply check in by hitting the check-in button.
Once checked in, you’ll automatically be awarded the check-in and the badge.
Notification from the Jeep Badge of Honor app that I checked in successfully.Note, you will still need to request the hard badge. But at this point, Jeep has a record of your check-in!
Jeep Badge of Honor App: How Do I Request the Hard Badge?
Getting your Jeep Badge of Honor hard badges is easy and free!Glad you asked. It is pretty simple.
When you first log into the app, you’ll need to create a profile, or link to one of your social network accounts. Any profile method you choose will be connected to the email address you use. So if you create the profile from scratch, it will be the email address you created it from. If you linked to a social networking account, then it will be the email associated with your login for that account.
Once you’ve checked into a qualifying trail on the app, a screen will pop up on the app congratulating you for earning the Badge!
Then if you click on the little person icon fourth from the left, you’ll come to a screen that shows your profile.
My personal profile screen on the Jeep Badge of Honor app.This screen has a lot of information including your name, how many points you have, how many check-ins you’ve done, how many photos you’ve submitted, and how many badges you’ve earned.
About halfway down the screen will be a link for you to “View and Request Badges.”
Click on that link on your app. Once you’ve clicked on that link, it will take you to another screen showing you all of the hard badges you are eligible for.
The ones you haven’t requested yet will allow you to click on them to submit your request. Make sure you have your 17-character VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) for your Jeep handy when clicking on this link because the app is going to ask you for it.
Fill out the form and hit submit.
Jeep will send you an email confirming your check-in to the trail. Once you’ve submitted the information on the app, they’ll also send you an email confirming you’ve successfully submitted your information to receive the hard badge.
That’s it! Now you just wait to get it in the mail.
Note: Some folks report receiving their badges within 2 weeks. Officially it is supposed to take 8-12 weeks to receive them. Personally I’ve had some badges take up to 8 months before they got to me.
What you’ve been waiting for! Receiving your Jeep Badge of Honor hard badge. This one was from Rubicon Ridge, a nasty little trail in Hot Springs Arkansas.But the program is free and the badges are free. So what is there to complain about?
The hard badges are worth the wait, and you get a nice little letter from Jeep too!
Jeep Badge of Honor Program: What Else Can I Do on the App?
The app is designed to be about community. You earn points by logging in, exploring trails, uploading photos, and engaging with other Jeep enthusiasts through comments.
These points take you through various stages of Jeep cred from Newbie to Trail Expert.
However, I’ve found that even though I’ve tried to use the app to earn points via discussion and uploading photos, I get my points, but my photos aren’t uploaded. For example, the app shows that I’ve uploaded 12 photos but none of my photos show up on the app. I’ve also commented on various trails, but none of my comments show up on the app.
My activity screen shows that I’ve been active on the Jeep Badge of Honor app, but my activity isn’t showing up in the areas of the app it should be showing up in.When I tried to figure out why my photos and comments weren’t showing up, I dove into the app. It seems as though the photos and comments haven’t been approved by whoever is responsible for that part of the app management for about a year.
However, the points are still added to my account for uploading photos and commenting. So keep at it. I’m sure Jeep will eventually fix this problem.
Jeep Badge of Honor Program: Anything Else I Should Know?
Yes! If you click on the three little horizontal lines icon on the app, it will take you to a page that gives you all kinds of information!
There is a ton of really good information for Jeepers on the Jeep Badge of Honor app.They have an off-roading 101 guide that covers a TON of information including:
- Trail Difficulty Rating – An explanation of Jeep’s official trail rating system.
- Safety Checklist – Pro tips on how to have a safe and enjoyable trail run.
- A Brief History – A very brief history of the Jeep brand. For a more thorough one, you can click on this article on Jeep History.
- Terrain Elements – Tips on how to drive on snow, mud, sand, and rock crawling.
- Trail Rated Jeep Vehicles – An explanation of what the Trail Rated badge on your Jeep actually means.
- Trail Rated System – An explanation of the various Trail Rated Systems used on Jeep brand vehicles including the ROCK-TRAC 4WD, COMMAND-TRAC 4WD, ACTIVE DRIVE LOCK 4WD, ACTIVE DRIVE II 4WD, QUADRA DRIVE II 4WD with rear ELSD, QUADRA-TRAC II 4WD, and the FREEDOM DRIVE II 4WD.
Also on this page, they have their FAQs regarding the Jeep Badge of Honor Program, their disclaimers, terms of use, and privacy policy. You know, all that legal stuff.
Lastly and probably most importantly, they have a way to contact the Jeep Badge of Honor staff! Just click on the “Having Issues” link and you’ll be able to send them an email directly.
For those curious, the email address is BadgeofHonor@jeep.com
Jeep Badge of Honor: Closing Thoughts
The concept of this program is brilliant. The execution isn’t perfect. But the program is free!
We have a choice.
We can complain about the things we don’t like, or we can come together as a Jeep community and do our best to get behind the folks who created this program for us.
I’d encourage you to download the app. Check into the trails. Request your badges. Be patient. And then when you do receive them, be grateful.
Jeep Badge of Honor hard badges on GUARDIAN my 2014 JKU Rubicon!I love having the official Jeep Badge of Honor hard badges on my Jeep and I hope to collect many more this year on my epic Jeep adventure for 2018.
Until next time, keep it dirty and wheels side down.
~ Eric
Thanks for the post. Headed to Moab next month and Alpine Loop in August to earn some badges!
Right on Robert. I’ll be in Moab next month too. What trails are you planning to run?
It will be a badge filled summer. Colorado, Moab, Northern AZ, NM, Texas and across Missouri, and that’s just June. going East in July to nab some hardware!
Wow Paul, sounds like you are headed out on an epic Jeep adventure of your own. Stay in touch. I post my itinerary on the right sidebar of my blog here. Let me know if we’ll be in the same area at the same time. Always enjoy wheeling with my readers. ~ Eric
Sucks.! Because is not available for many Jeep Owners in Puerto Rico ??… they should do something similar in here because we have many trails to go and many beautiful places…
Hola Boriqua! As of now they only have Jeep Badge of Honor trails in the United States. However, I could see them adding one in Puerto Rico down the road. Personally I’d love to wheel down there sometime. Hope y’all are doing ok after that devastating hurricane. Take care Hector and thank you for reading my article. Let your Jeep buddies know about my blog! ~ Eric
It’s a cool program, but they have a hard time keeping up with shipping the badges out. Earned 5 badges two years ago in Silverton and Ouray, Colorado, but only received the one for Ophir Pass. Only one guy in our group of 8 Jeeps got all 5 badges. The rest of us got one or two along with a letter stating they were out of badges, but more were on order and we would see them soon.
Randy,
My understanding (though I can’t confirm this) is that Jeep orders the badges in bulk when they have enough people who have completed the trails to facilitate a mail out. So I understand your frustration. But if that is indeed the case it makes sense as to why they seem so “delayed”. Having said that, the more people that are running the trails and ordering badges, the more Jeep will see the need to put more resources behind this program. So I’d encourage you to keep checking in and getting your badges and encouraging your friends to do the same! ~ Eric
This is super cool! We used to wheel pretty religiously before our little one was born last year and just haven’t gotten back out there yet. Hopefully this summer we can road trip to some trails! We’re up in northeast Ohio but it’s good to get away for a bit! I have some family out by Moab so paying them a visit may be in order. Thanks so much for sharing!!
Rhiannon! Glad to share it. Glad it is encouraging you to get back out there. We have a 16 month old who has been a Jeeper since birth. We call him #babynomad his first level 4 trail was when he was 4 months old. It can be done! When are you planning on being in Moab? I’m going to be there this summer. Would love to wheel with y’all and meet your little one.
I have all the badges you have! They were my first as they were the closest place i could go from my home. I love the program but as you said some of the execution could be a little better. I understand its free so maybe that keeps the complaints lower but I really think Jeep could make this an amazing program. I have even said i would be willing to pay a small fee for the badge if that would help the program. Also I really wish they would have some kind of group evaluate trails on a regular basis and add new ones to the list each year. Maybe even one a Quarter. Also I didnt notice when i did the trails you did but there was no indication of the Jeep Badge program. I would have thought that if I had a trail that was part of it I would advertise it as such to let Jeepers that are not away join the program. In some ways I feel like Jeep doesnt want EVERYONE to know as if it is a secret group. I LOVE the concept and as a Jeeper its always fun to collect decals or badges from places my Jeep and I have gone. Its memories I dont want to forget but also a fun way to connect with other Jeepers. Just my two cents. I have suggested many things directly to Jeep about the program but not sure they have a lot of resources involved in it.
Norman, I couldn’t agree with you more on paying a small fee to have them expedited. Also to have a team to evaluate the trails and add new ones. My feeling is that the more people who use the program, the more Jeep will invest into it. So it is upon us to share about the program. I’d encourage you to share my article with all your Jeep friends. My understanding is that Jeep orders the badges in bulk based on how many have requested them. So the more Jeepers that run the trails, the faster we’ll actually get them. Make sense?
Great job Eric! We’d love to have you visit us when your in our neck of the woods.
Hi Connie! Y’all are based out of Wisconsin? Is that correct?
Does the App have to have reception when you get to points on the trail? I am one of those cheap phone plan guys and was wondering.
From my understanding Jason, the answer to your question is no. I’ve heard rumors that you can be up to 10 miles away from the trailhead to check in. I’ve also heard that if you open the app and check in on the trail head without signal, and then run the trail as long as you leave the app open whenever you get back to coverage it will remember that you checked in. But I can’t confirm either of these since I haven’t tried it myself. But give that a shot and let me know if it worked! ~ Eric
The fact that you MUST check in while you’re there caused me no end of issues with the app, since all of the BOH trails I ran were in places with little or no signal. Also, if you have signal but forget to check in, you can’t claim the trail later unless you go back.
Back when I had a Jeep ( I’ve since upgraded ) and tried to use the app, I couldn’t claim any of the 4 or 5 trails I had run since I wasn’t near them. Other trails I was unable to claim since I had no cell service at the trail or anywhere near it.
I ran a trail today with no service. I checked in and it noted that it was stored and would update once I had coverage again….even told me to “enjoy my time off the grid”. Then later today I had an email waiting and reminding me to update my mailing address and claim the badge. Worked well on the digital side today so we will see how long the badge takes to show up.
Hey Eric!
Thank you so much for sharing your experiences. I have learned a lot from reading and watching your adventures. ALSO, THANK YOU for your service to our Country,
Paula, I truly appreciate it. It was an honor to serve my nation. I miss those days and at the same time am glad they are behind me. Appreciate you being part of the Jeepsies community. Please let your Jeep friends know about my page. I’m also on social at FB, IG and Twitter. ~ Eric
Thanks for the info, just downloaded app, need to jump over to Sadona and grab my first badge befor we go to Moab in May
Sounds like you are on the same track as I am. I’m heading to Utah on Saturday. Currently in Flagstaff, AZ. Glad the article was helpful to you Jon. Hope we can meet up on the trails. ~ Eric
I just bought my very first Jeep last Friday. I’m super stoked to add this to my bucket list of Jeeping adventures for the next many, many years to come. I’ll be hitting the ones close to me, then I’ll be in Moab next summer!!
Right on Ashley! Please share a photo of your Jeep on the Jeepsies Facebook page. I’d love to see it! Congrats and let me be one of the first to give you a virtual #jeepwave ~ Eric
I’m from Peru and the application does not appear on my Iphone, I plan to travel in May, what’s the problem?
I have no idea Cesar how the program works for downloading the app in Peru. I would think that when you visit the USA you’ll be able to download the app. But I’m not sure! Great question. Email BadgeofHonor@jeep.com and ask them that question. Let me know what they tell you. ~ Eric
How absolutely cool Guardian driver! I always scroll thru my emails to see if Jeepsies has sent anything and my heart skips beat when I find the golden egg hiding in the list 😉 I had never heard of the Badges of Honor before but it sure is a great way to create community amongst Jeepers and establish some trail leaders at the same time..
Will you be running Topless next month? Just make sure wife and #BabyNomad are covered up 😉
C ya ’round.
Candace! Thank you for being a loyal follower and subscriber to Jeepsies! Always great to hear from you! Glad you liked the article. We hope to run a ton of trails but typically we don’t run fully topless because #babynomad is in the back in his car seat and we don’t have a garage to leave the top in since we don’t have a house! But we do take the front doors off regularly and the freedom panels as well. So we still get the illusion of jeeping naked (that is what it is called in Jeep circles when you are doorless and topless) but we are still able to give #babynomad a little extra protection. ~ Eric
Cool program. Has a few things that could be worked on as you mentioned. My issue though is technically a person could check in and get credit for a badge without even attempting the trail let alone complete it.
I agree with you Shawn. Unfortunately so. But those folks are Jeep posers. Why would anyone want to do that? I know folks will, but why? It boggles the mind. ~ Eric
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We just found out about this program but already ran a couple badge trails. Is there any way to get a badge for,the past? We have pics etc.
So sorry for the late reply, I’ve literally been Jeeping off the grid for months, but I’m back! Hi Karen, so I would suggest emailing them directly at BadgeOfHonor@jeep.com
I’ve heard of folks getting results if they can prove it. Also I know they are on a current back order, so please be extra patient. ~ Eric
Thanks for the article. I just did my first big trail, Black Bear Pass. Of course, I was so excited I forgot to check in on the app.
So sorry for the late reply, I’ve literally been Jeeping off the grid for months, but I’m back! The beauty of this is that it gives you an excuse to go back. Black Bear Pass is definitely one of the ones to show off to friends and I’m sure will give you more than one story around a campfire. ~ Eric
Hello. I would like to help expand your list of trails in Colorado. How do I do this. tIA, Davy
So sorry for the late reply, I’ve literally been Jeeping off the grid for months, but I’m back! Hi Davy, I don’t run the Jeep Badge of Honor program. I just wrote this article to inform others that it exists and how it works. But you could email them directly at BadgeOfHonor@jeep.com and see what they say! ~ Eric
What Do the color of the badge trails mean? Red,yellow and green,
I’ve been trying to figure them out,
I’m on 9 badges so far,
Keep up the good work.
That is a great question George and one I do not know the answer to. I’ve been curious about this myself. Let’s make a deal. Whoever finds out first comes back here and informs the other. Deal? Shake on it? ~ Eric
Not a Jeep owner, nor have I heard about this program before–but super cool and informative! Thanks so much for this.
Like I mentioned, the program isn’t without its issues but it is free and I really like the idea. If folks are patient they do in fact eventually get their badges! ~ Eric
Hello,
The family and I were at Southern Missouri off road ranch this weekend 9-13 to 9-16
And ran pee wee crossing and Guard rail both have badges .
We started the app and it went down on both trails.
How can we get our badges for these trails ?
Thank you in advance
Stan Miller
If you checked into the trails while you were there, all you need to do is go back to the app and submit your application for the badge!
Hello, we also did Black Gap, but never had a signal to check in. What do you recommend nexr?
Email the team. The email is provided in this article. They are usually pretty good about responding!
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How does a trail system submit their trails for a badge of honor. I own the trail head here in Harlan, Kentucky and was curious.
Hi Stephen, that’s a great question. I would use the contact email located in this article and reach out to them. There isn’t an official submission that I’m aware of, so that would probably be your best bet.
Perhaps the different colors are related to the difficulty level?
Joe, they are but they don’t make sense at all. I’ve run these trails. Some that are shown as green (easy) are much more challenging than some shown as yellow (moderate) or red (difficult). Poison Spider and Top of the World in Moab are listed as green? Yeah, I think that is what they were intending, but it isn’t accurate. The new badges don’t have a color code. ~ Eric
Hi!
I’m super late to this article, but my dad told me about the badges & I was looking at how to get one. I’ve completed Ophir & Imogene pass & have the pictures to prove it, but didn’t know about the app & couldn’t check in when we did it. Is there anyway to back track & check in to previously completed trails? Or will I just have to wait until the next time I go back & do them?
thanks!
It has been hit or miss with this Taylor. There is an email address to reach out to the folks at Jeep Badge of Honor in this article. I’d recommend that you email them the photos along with your VIN and mailing address and see if they’d be willing to send those off to you. Let us know what happens. ~ Eric
I’m curious if you know what provisions, if any, are made for old Jeeps without a 17 digit VIN?
David that’s a great question. I don’t know personally, but I have the email for the program managers listed here in the article. I’d ask them that question if I were you. Please do let us know what they say.
Just found your article, very helpful. Judging by your badges you must be somewhere in Arkansas which is where I’m located. Was a little disappointed to see there wasn’t any trails listed around the Buffalo National River or Ozark Mountains. Anyway, looking forward to getting some badges!
Travis we actually travel fulltime. Currently stopped due to CoronaVirus. But we do our best to find all the trails we can hit. Love the Jeep Badge of Honor program. Let us know when you get your badge collection going. ~ Eric
I truly appreciate Jeep for maintaining this program. My feelings are when you participate in this program your acknowledging that when you bought your jeep it was something special. You join a brotherhood and sisterhood that is special. The badge of honor program is special. So be special and try to accept change. Thanks and happy trails.
Thanks for the comment Tony. I agree with you on all points. If you ever see us on the road, hit us with a Jeep wave if we don’t wave at you first. ~ Eric
I’m buying a 2006 Jeep Wrangler and I noticed that it had 7 badges of honor on it . After checking them out I also came across your article and found it very informative. I’m looking forward to joining the Jeep community and can’t wait to hit the trails. I’ll also be using it for when I go hunting in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. Thank You Again!
If it has 8 Badge of Honor emblems, that Jeep has been wheeled. Hope you checked it out fully on the underside before you pulled the trigger on it. I’m sure you did your due diligence. Glad you enjoyed the article. The Jeep Badge of Honor trails are a lot of fun. Welcome to the Jeep life. Let us know if you have any questions. ~ Eric
Thank you for this article. I recently bought my first jeep and was curious about the badges. Are they magnets?
Congrats on your first Jeep Edye! They are not magnets. They have a removable backing with some heavy duty adhesive tape on the other side that you can use them to affix them to whatever you choose. Have fun out there and be safe! ~ Eric
How many badges do you get per location? It would be nice to have an extra as a keepsake if I have to say goodbye to my baby.
Hi Monica, it’s a good question. By checking in through the app, you’ll be mailed just one badge. In a way, I think the process makes the program meaningful because you’re showing it was *that* vehicle that got you through the trail.
The Jeep Badge of A Honor is great program for finding beautiful trails with like minded people. But as far getting the badge is another story. We did three trails in May 2022 in Arizona and it’s November 2022 and yet to receive our badges. It seems they always have problem (excuses) why we have not received them. Six months into this is long enough wait. I’m ready to delete the app.
Hi, Norris. I suppose it is all perspective. We find it exciting and commendable that Jeep founded the Badge of Honor program and is willing to take on all the costs of maintaining the app and fulfilling the badges. What an undertaking. The fact Jeep is willing to do this at no cost, regardless of how old the Jeep is or how many times it has changed hands, shows the true spirit of the program. The wait can be long, but that makes the reward even better. Not everyone has the privilege of running these amazing trails and (eventually) having something to show for it. Congratulations on the three trails you ran in May, and hope you’ll be able to experience even more in the future.