National Parks

[John Ciskanik]

Anyone know if there are added merit-badge benefits (other BSA recognitions? awards?) to choosing to hike at National Park Service destination rather than another destination? (We are considering whether to link the hike within some American historical context.)

Thanks for any ideas.

[RWSmith]

The first patch I ever earned as a Scout was the Kings Mountain Battlefield Trail Award. The patch is a relatively simple design that hasn’t changed for at least 30 years, when I earned it—OMG, I’m an old dawg! This award is fairly simple to earn and there's only a patch, no medal; but still, quite unique because it requires the approval of three separate entities for award to be issued… a South Carolina State Park Ranger, a National Park Service Ranger, and the Palmetto Council of the BSA. Go here for details: http://www.nps.gov/kimo/boyscout.htm. This is an swesome first trip for new Scouts.

You can also go here http://www.scouting.org/boyscouts/trails/ to search National’s database of over 300 BSA-approved Historic Trails.