by Matt Konkle
Managing Editor
You see them most often at shows or in parking lots plastered all over Jeep tailgates. Or surrounding the driver’s side Trail Rated logo. Sometimes even covering hardtop glass side windows.
Silver and black badges.
Specifically, Jeep Badge of Honor versions indicating the completion (usually) of a program-sponsored trail.
And those who love collecting these mementos just received four new locations to round out their set — two of which are located at the popular Anthracite Outdoor Adventure Area off-road park near Shamokin, Pennsylvania.
Jeep recently named AOAA's Barney Rubble and Fern Ridge as program trails, as well as one trail each in Arkansas and Missouri.
”It did take about eight years to get them and it is a great addition to our facility,” said AOAA Director of Operations Dave Porzi. “Getting these two BOH trails now offers the Jeep enthusiast two great and challenging trails to earn their badges.”
The BOH program, launched in 2013, is a brand-sponsored mobile phone application that awards hard-plated badges to those who off-road on sponsored trails 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.
According to a study by the University of Wyoming, a Jeep Badge of Honor trail can generate an average of $1 million in economic activity per year for the surrounding community. This includes direct spending by visitors on things like lodging, food, and gas, as well as indirect spending by businesses that support the off-road tourism industry.
For the Quadratec-sponsored AOAA, the trail additions nicely complement other important improvements the park has made over the past few years, specifically the signature 'Mammoth’ trail — a demanding 6,600-foot stretch of land that is soaked with vehicle-swallowing boulders of all sizes.
“It definitely makes the AOAA more of a destination place rather than just a normal riding area,” Porzi said. “We’re very excited about that.”
AOAA opened in 2014 and has steadily increased its footprint with off-road enthusiasts every year. The park has also been named one of the country's top-10 off-road destinations for full-size, ATV and dirt bikers, and offers hundreds of miles of trails across more than 8,000 acres.
Its Barney Rubble trail is located on the Eastern Reserve section at AOAA, and features multiple entrances that can turn the trail from a lower-end blue all the way to a mega-challenging black level. Additionally, the trail can be run either up or down the slanted boulder field, with the down section being slightly easier.
The trail entirely consists of a ‘rock garden’ with multiple obstacle sizes that require constant attention, choosing a solid line and confidently following through with that decision — especially when mud and water are introduced.
This one is rated at a moderate to demanding degree of trail difficulty and most participants attempt the trail with a lifted Jeep, at least 35-inch tires, tow points and, ideally, a winch. It isn’t uncommon to slide off one of those slippery rocks and become wedged no matter your driving experience level, so having that winch, as well as other recovery options, is ideal.
Similarly, on the park’s Western Reserve, Fern Ridge also offers a fairly technical trail that demands attention to numerous rocky obstacles, ledges and tree stumps, as well as navigating through fairly narrow tree openings. You should really have as good a feel with wheel placement as you do with knowing where your fender flares and mirrors are situated so they don’t get knocked off.
Additionally, the further you progress into the trail, the more difficult it becomes, so maintaining focus is crucial to successfully completing the run.
Like Barney Rubble, Fern Ridge is best tackled in a lifted Jeep with at least 35” tires to give you optimal ground clearance, as the trail carries a moderate to very challenging designation. Also, because of the trail’s narrow footprint, it is highly recommended you carry along recovery equipment just in case it is needed for yourself or someone nearby in your trail group.
These AOAA offerings brings the total BOH trail number to five now for Pennsylvania as nearby prominent off-road park Rausch Creek has three at its facility in Tremont — Crawl Daddy, Crawler Ridge and Trail 11.
In all, the Jeep Badge of Honor program now boasts 68 trails across 25 states. Not surprisingly, Utah leads the way with 11 trails — 10 of which surround Moab in the southeastern part of the state. Next comes California and Colorado with six trails each.
So, 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 past 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 free. Technically, you don't actually have to run the trail to get its badge, as you can check in from near the trail location, but that sense of accomplishment is far higher if you do complete the run.
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 individual trail ratings.
