So you bought a Jeep. You been off-roading here in Florida. Gone to Ocala National Forest. Rode through some scenic areas of Citrus WMA. You may even went and drove through Richloam WMA and wondered where all the water and mud came from.
Have you gone out of state yet? Windrock Off-Road Park? River Rock? Stony Lonesome?
Our friends over at Jeep have a program that can take the off-roader nationwide. It's called "Jeep Badge of Honor." It's a free program first and foremost. It's designed for you to download the app on your smart device. You will see what trails are available in the Continental U.S. As of now, there is nothing in Alaska or Hawaii. Once you plan your trip to the parks, or trails that are located throughout, you can read the ratings of the trails, get local information, read reviews from fellow off-roaders, even see pictures that were taken by these off-roaders and posted on the app. You will then check into the app. If your cell signal is strong enough, you can and in my opinion should finish out the processing of the check-in so you can get your hard badge mailed to you.
I love this program that Jeep has. It allows you to open up and get out there on the road to travel this great nation of ours. Drive some roads that were meant to be forgotten. Visit old cities. It helps stimulate the local economy and the off-road parks you will visit.
So there's many differing opinions about when to check-in on the trail, versus
when to claim it as well as is it the driver that does it, or the vehicle that does it. I will leave that up to you. My thoughts are this, it’s your experience. Your memory. Your story to share. Whether you do it in a TJ, JK, JL, JT, or whatever. I always check in first. Two of the 50 I’ve completed to date were not fully finished. I don’t display my badges on my Jeep. If someone asks me about the two I attempted, I will tell them my experience. As I continue to do and hopefully complete the other Badge Trails, I will one day return to those two and try again.
To date, Jeep has removed trails from the app. Either marked as too difficult, or too easy. They also have added three more trails, with promises to add many more this year.
Most times you will get your hard badge in the mail really quick, and sometimes not. Just be patient, you will get them. Some dispaly them on their Jeeps. Some take nice photos of the trail they rode and attach the badge to the picture frame. I personally have 3D plaques made and display them in my garage.
You can interact with Members of FTS about starting up a trip of your own. FTS during the year will have trips going out of State. I started a small and private group of like-minded off-roaders and we call it, Trail Stompers of America and our Events are officially called, "Jeep Badge Runs." I started these serious of Events in 2021 after my first time going out to Moab, Utah. This July , Jeep Badge Run 8: The Heartland Stomp will have us re-visiting Missouri and Arkansas to finish out the trails we missed, due to they were not on the app when we last visited in 2023. We will also visit Kansas and ride the trails there. So wherever you go, whomever you go with, all I ask is, be safe, have fun, and for sure, share your adventures with the rest of us Florida Trail Stompers.
So with over 150,000 miles on my 2017 Jeep Wrangler Sport Unlimited, I invite you, go see your country. Forget the islands, and forget Europe. See what built America, see how we thrive and what makes us the best. Earn your badge, or have fun accepting the challenges that some offer. Just remember, it's your memories and stories to share for others.
STOMP ON!!!
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