by Matt Konkle
Torque Editor-in-Chief
The popular Jeep Badge of Honor trail system is growing just a little bit longer these days. Well, the total number of trails anyway.
Jeep recently announced it has added seven more trails in seven different states to the program’s list, bringing the total number now to 56 trails nationwide for the over 60,000 Badge of Honor participants. The brand also said it is making application enhancements to help out with things like trail check-ins, badge requests, locating trails and sharing information with other program fans.
"We created the Badge of Honor program as a fun way to interact with our loyal off-road Jeep enthusiasts, allowing them to do what they love most, and earn unique trail badges for their vehicle," said Jeep Head of Brand Jim Morrison. "The program has really taken off, and we often see Jeep vehicles with many different badges that represent conquered trails around the country. With continued program interest, we've expanded the Badge of Honor mobile app with many new features our customers will enjoy."
The seven new trails are Holly Oaks ORV Park (Holly, MI), Monument Ridge (Teton National Park, WY), Bearwallow (Hatfield-McCoy Trail System, WV), Jericho Mountain 4x4 Trail (Jericho Mountain State Park, NH), Northwest ORV Park (Bridgeport, TX), Table Mesa Road (New River, AZ), and Tread Lightly Four Wheel Drive Way (Ocala National Forest, FL).
These join other iconic locations like the California’s Rubicon Trail; Hells Revenge in Moab, Utah; Ouray, Colorado’s Engineer Pass; and Beasley Knob in Georgia’s Chattahoochee National Forest.
The program, launched in 2013, is a brand-sponsored mobile phone application that awards hard-plated badges to those who off-road on sponsored trails in 17 states across the country. This interactive venture also allows users to upload pictures of their adventures and comment about the trail, or reply to what others have done.
Registering for the program is simple, free and the Jeep Badge of Honor app can be downloaded on any Apple or Android phone.
New updates to the mobile app, per Jeep, include enhancements to trail check-in and badge request pages, photo uploads and sharing, as well as details and directions on the trails. Jeep has also added the ability to recommend a new trail for the program, share trail accomplishments on other social networks, and added a more detailed user profile.
How does one acquire badges?
Well, ”Once users have the app on their phone, they can create their account using their Facebook or Google account,” said then-Jeep Product Marketing Associate Brandon Girmus during a 2018 Torque story on the program. “They then can check in when they are within a certain radius of any of the trails in the program. Some trails have a wider range than others because of cell phone access, but once checked in, if you go out of cell phone range, the app will remember that check in when you reacquire service.”
After check-in, users will receive an email with a submission form that asks for a mailing address as well as the Jeep’s vehicle identification number (VIN).
“We do this to make sure you are actually riding in a Jeep and not a Toyota or Chevy, or something else,” said Girmus.
The badges, which were redesigned in 2019, normally take about 6-8 weeks to arrive and, like the application, are no charge.
For Jeep owners new to off-roading, the application even includes an off-roading 101 section that includes trail riding basics, important safety reminders, the history of off-roading, information on dealing with different types of off-road terrain and Jeep Trail Ratings.
