Jeep Badge of Honor: How It Works, Best Trails, and Special Event Badges

Jeep Badge of Honor is Jeep's official, free trail-recognition program, run through the Jeep Badge of Honor app on iOS and Android. The idea is simple: drive to a listed off-road trail, check in through the app when you arrive, and earn a digital badge for that destination. Badges collect on your profile as a permanent record of where you have wheeled. Hundreds of trails across the United States are listed, from easy forest roads to serious rock-crawling routes, and Jeep also releases special event badges tied to holidays and milestones. Everything about the program is free: the app, the account, and every check-in.

In this article

• What is the Jeep Badge of Honor program?
• How do trail check-ins actually work?
• Which trails can you earn badges on?
• What are special event badges?
• How do you deck out your rig to match?
• Frequently asked questions

What is the Jeep Badge of Honor program?

Jeep Badge of Honor is Jeep's official trail-recognition app, available free on iOS and Android. The concept is straightforward: drive to a listed off-road trail or location, check in through the app, and earn a digital badge for that destination. The badges stack on your profile as a record of where you have wheeled.

The program launched to give Jeep owners a reason to explore new trails and connect with the broader off-road community. Hundreds of trails across the United States are listed, from easy forest roads to serious rock-crawling routes. The app is free, and most badge check-ins simply require GPS confirmation that you are at the location.

The program is built around real, physical trails. You cannot earn a trail badge from your couch. You have to actually drive to the trailhead, which is the whole point: the badge is proof you were there. Over time, a full profile of badges tells the story of your rig and where it has been.

Badge of Honor is one of several traditions that make Jeep ownership its own culture. The Jeep wave and Jeep ducking come from the same instinct, and so does naming your rig. If your badge profile is already telling your Jeep's story, it probably deserves a name to go with it. Our Jeep name generator is a good place to start.

Beyond trail badges, Jeep periodically releases special event badges tied to milestones, holidays, and community moments. Those are the exceptions to the "be at the trail" rule, and we cover them further down.

How do trail check-ins actually work?

The check-in is the heart of the program, and it is designed to be quick. Here is the full flow from download to earning your first badge.

1. Download the Jeep Badge of Honor app. It is free on iOS and Android. Search "Jeep Badge of Honor" in the App Store or Google Play.
2. Create or log into your account. The app requires a free Jeep account. If you have used other Jeep apps, the same credentials often work.
3. Browse the trail map before you go. The app shows listed trails near you and across the country, with difficulty ratings, descriptions, and location details. Pick a badge you want to earn and plan the trip.
4. Drive to the trail and arrive on location. When you reach the listed trailhead or trail area, open the app and find that trail's badge page.
5. Tap to check in. The app uses your phone's GPS to confirm you are physically at the location. Once it verifies you are in range, the badge is added to your profile.

Because check-ins rely on GPS, cell or data coverage can matter. Many remote trails have weak signal, so it helps to open the app and let it load the trail before you lose service. Once a badge is earned, it stays on your profile permanently as part of your record. Your profile becomes a running log of every trail you have checked in on, which is half the fun of chasing badges in the first place.

Which trails can you earn badges on?

Hundreds of trails are listed in the program, and the roster shifts over time as trails are added and occasionally retired. We cross-checked the trails below against Trails Offroad's compiled Badge of Honor list plus park and forum sources for each one, so treat this as a verified starting point rather than a complete directory, and always confirm current status in the app before you go.

California

Rubicon Trail. The most famous off-road trail in America and the namesake of the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon, running between Georgetown and Lake Tahoe through the Sierra Nevada. It is reported to be the only trail in the program that reaches a 10 out of 10 on the Badge of Honor difficulty scale. Named obstacles like Walker Hill, Little Sluice, Cadillac Hill, and Devil's Postpile string together for roughly 12 to 22 miles depending on how you measure the approach roads. One first-timer on an Expedition Portal forum thread put it simply after finishing: "I know now, that I can drive that trail, and finish it." Tips: forum consensus recommends 35-inch tires, 4.8:1 gearing, and a winch per vehicle, plus extra fuel since there is no refueling on the trail. Season generally runs Memorial Day through mid-October, and snow is common even in June.

Dusy-Ershim. A 33-mile Sierra National Forest route between Courtright Reservoir and Lake Edison that off-roaders routinely describe as harder than the Rubicon despite being shorter, thanks to its relentless, non-stop nature. One IH8MUD trip report called it "tougher than the Rubicon due to it's relentless nature." Named features include Chicken Rock and the engine-cooking climb up Thompson Hill, where one group hit snow in mid-August after starting the day in 80-degree heat. Tips: plan on 3 to 5 days, not one, with a minimum of 37-inch tires; the gate is only open roughly August 1 through late October depending on snowpack, and body damage is close to expected rather than a worst case.

Utah (Moab)

Hell's Revenge. A roughly 6.5-mile slickrock loop out of Sand Flats Recreation Area, with named obstacles including Hell's Gate, the Hot Tubs, and the Tip-Over Challenge. It has been on Jeep's official trail list since the program's early days. Forum reaction to a video of the trail's Escalator obstacle ran the gamut, from "my butt puckered a few times watching it" to "it's the third [drop] that will hurt you." Tips: Sand Flats charges a day-use fee (about $10 for 7 days, or $35 annually) collected by Grand County, and federal passes are not accepted here. Summer slickrock regularly runs well over 100°F, so spring and fall are the more comfortable windows.

Poison Spider Mesa. A slickrock and sand route off Potash Road with named sections like the Wedge, the Steps, and the Waterfall. A Red Rock 4-Wheelers trail report summed up the obstacle run as making for "white knuckle moments for first timers." Tips: no access fee is required here, unlike Hell's Revenge, but cell service is unreliable and there is no water on-site. Most sources put the comfortable minimum at 35-inch tires with lockers, though it has been run on stock 33s by drivers willing to take some underbody hits.

Colorado

Black Bear Pass. A high alpine shelf road that tops out near 12,840 feet above Red Mountain Pass before descending a famous one-way switchback section into Telluride. Rental vehicles are banned on it by Telluride's own tourism office. Experienced repeat drivers on a WAYALIFE forum thread pushed back on its scary reputation, calling it "more of a mind-screw than it is 'dangerous' or 'technical.'" Tips: it is snowpack-dependent and often does not reliably open until mid-July even though some sources cite a late-June start; once you pass a certain point on the switchbacks, you are committed to finishing downhill toward Telluride, so this is not a there-and-back trail.

Imogene Pass. At 13,114 feet, the highest pass in the San Juan Mountains, connecting Ouray and Telluride. Despite the elevation, repeat visitors consistently describe it as more approachable than its reputation suggests. "I would put it in the beginner class," one JK-Forum member wrote, and another recalled seeing a "stock TJ with 4 college girls" make it through with zero experience. Tips: the Ouray-side trailhead is easy to miss, it looks like a residential alley at first, and weekday runs beat weekends for less summit traffic.

Holy Cross. The hardest of Colorado's three badge trails by a wide margin, rated anywhere from 7 to 10 depending on the source, on a roughly 4-mile route to the historic Holy Cross City townsite. Two obstacles come up again and again: French Creek, a stream crossing into a boulder field, and Cleveland Rock, described by a Colorado 4x4 club as needing a "significantly modified" rig. Tips: a winch is treated as close to mandatory here, do not go alone, and bring spare parts; despite the short mileage, the obstacles mean full-day trips are normal. This trail sits adjacent to, not inside, the Holy Cross Wilderness Area, which bans motorized travel entirely.

Pennsylvania

Crawl Daddy (Rausch Creek Off-Road Park). Rated red, the park's hardest tier, in the eastern section of this 3,000-acre Pine Grove park. Proof that Badge of Honor is not only a Western program. Forum accounts describe drivers on 33-inch tires needing a winch and full skid plates to get through, with 35s reported as noticeably easier. Tips: Rausch Creek requires a minimum of two vehicles to run any trail, no solo runs, and day passes run roughly $60 to $83 depending on membership status.

Crawler Ridge (Rausch Creek Off-Road Park). The shortest of Rausch Creek's badge trails, but with enough optional hard lines that sources rate it anywhere from blue to black/red depending on which line you run. "Crawler ridge is a red trail so it's one of the hardest in the park," one WAYALIFE forum member wrote, recommending lockers as close to mandatory. Tips: the same two-vehicle-minimum rule applies as Crawl Daddy, and the park runs Friday through Sunday unless you call ahead for a weekday reservation.

Fern Ridge (Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area). Pennsylvania's newest Badge of Honor trail of the three, added when Jeep expanded the program to 68 trails in October 2023. Difficulty escalates from moderate to extreme along the route. One trip report described the setting as "a mountain ridge covered with ferns... makes you feel like you're in a scene from Jurassic Park." Tips: AOAA is a much bigger, multi-use OHV area than Rausch Creek, with ATVs and dirt bikes sharing the property, and the trail's narrow width leaves limited room for a second vehicle to assist, so bring your own recovery gear.

Difficulty ranges widely, so check each trail's current rating in the app before you go and match it honestly to your rig and your experience. Many badge trails require lockers, skid plates, and proper recovery gear. Badge of Honor is a maintained, evolving list rather than a fixed one, so always confirm current status in the app before making the trip. Never wheel a serious trail alone, and always tell someone your plan before you head out of cell range.

What are special event badges?

Alongside the trail-based badges, Jeep periodically releases special event badges tied to holidays, anniversaries, and community moments. These are the exception to the "be at the trail" rule. Some are location-independent, meaning you can check in from anywhere in the country during a set window, while others are tied to Jeep gatherings and events. They are usually available for a limited time, which makes them collectible in a way the permanent trail badges are not.

The standout recent example is the America 250 badge, released for July 4th, 2026 to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence. Officially titled "Driven by Freedom: America 250," it carries the official America 250 logo set against a mountain silhouette with a Jeep, styled as a dog tag to match the Badge of Honor aesthetic. The app framed it as honoring "250 years of American freedom, spirit and pride, three values that the Jeep Brand has embodied for 85 years," a nod to the fact that 2026 was also Jeep's 85th anniversary as a brand, dating back to the original military Willys MB in 1941. Unlike a trail badge, it was listed under the location "United States of America," so owners could check in from a driveway, a campsite, or a parade route rather than a specific trailhead.

Special event badges like this come and go, so it pays to open the app now and then and check the events area. If a limited badge is active and you want it, claim it while the window is open. Once these releases close, they generally do not come back.

What happened with the America 250 badge on July 4

If you spent July 4th fighting the app to claim the America 250 badge, you were not alone. We started trying at 12:01 that morning and kept at it all day, and the app threw one roadblock after another. At various points it showed "Problem Requesting Badge: We experienced an unexpected issue while trying to request your badge," a "Heads Up" notice that "some services are down on our end," and a "Check-In Saved!" screen saying the check-in "can't be finalized right now." Demand for the 250th badge clearly overwhelmed the system for most of the day.

Here is the good news if you went through the same thing: the badge could still be granted. We emailed Jeep Badge of Honor support with the error screenshots as proof that we tried and the failures were on their end, and the America 250 badge posted to our profile later that day, with the option to order the physical hard badge. So if you tried on the 4th and hit errors, do not assume you missed it: email support with your screenshots, then check your profile. And if you want to mark the 250th on the rig itself, no app required, a commemorative spare tire cover keeps the milestone on your Jeep year-round. If you are adding flag decals to go with it, it is worth knowing which way the American flag should face on a vehicle and what the colored line versions mean.

Spare Tire Cover

America 250th Commemorative Spare Tire Cover

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Spare Tire Cover

Lady Liberty's Glory Tire Cover

The Statue of Liberty in full color against the American flag. A classic patriotic statement for any rig, built to handle the elements and sized for Jeep, Bronco, 4Runner, and more.

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Frequently asked questions

Do I need to own a Jeep to earn Badge of Honor badges?

The Jeep Badge of Honor app and account are technically open to anyone, and the app does not verify your vehicle. That said, the program is designed for Jeep owners and the community around the brand. Whatever you drive, the badges you earn will sit on your profile.

Is the Jeep Badge of Honor app free?

Yes. The app is free to download on iOS and Android, and creating a Jeep account is also free. There is no subscription or fee to earn badges, whether they are trail badges or special event releases.

How do the GPS check-ins work?

When you arrive at a listed trail, you open the app, find that trail's badge, and tap to check in. The app uses your phone's GPS to confirm you are physically at the location. Since many trails have weak signal, it helps to open the app and load the trail before you lose coverage.

How many Jeep Badge of Honor badges are there?

The program includes hundreds of trail-based badges across the United States, from well-known rock-crawling routes to forest roads and scenic overlooks. Beyond trails, Jeep periodically releases special event badges for holidays and milestones. Your profile displays every badge you have earned as a permanent record.

Can you lose a badge once you earn it?

No. Once a badge is on your profile, it stays there as a permanent part of your record. That is true for both trail badges and limited special event badges, so a limited release you claimed remains yours even after the check-in window closes.

What is the America 250 badge and can I still get it?

The America 250 badge, titled "Driven by Freedom: America 250," was a limited special event badge released for July 4th, 2026 to mark 250 years of American independence and Jeep's 85th anniversary. Its check-in window was time-limited, and the app was overwhelmed for much of the day, showing server and "problem requesting badge" errors to many owners trying to claim it. If you attempted a check-in on the 4th but hit errors, you may not be out of luck: emailing Badge of Honor support with screenshots showing you tried can get the badge granted, which is what happened for us, and it later posted to our profile with the option to order the physical hard badge. Going forward, watch the app's events area for the next special badge, and many owners mark the anniversary on the rig with a commemorative America 250 spare tire cover.