Official Geocaching merit badge requirements released

You won’t need your GPS unit to find the Geocaching merit badge requirements. We’ve got them right here.

The merit badge pamphlet is not yet available, but the Boy Scouts of America wanted to get the official requirements in the hands of Scouts and Scouters as soon as possible. The BSA knows that troops, districts, and councils will be planning spring and summer activities around this newest merit badge.

Here are a few highlights of what Scouts will learn while earning Geocaching merit badge:

  • Precautions necessary to have a safe time while searching for geocaches
  • Geocaching etiquette and how the principles of Leave No Trace apply
  • Geocaching terms
  • How GPS technology works
  • Steps for finding and logging a cache
  • How to use geocaching.com, the official online home of geocaching

But it isn’t all “classroom work.” The majority of the merit badge involves Scouts searching for geocaches. They’ll also have the opportunity to create and hide their own caches.

Click here for the PDF of the final, official requirements.

The timing of this merit badge’s release in the 100th Anniversary year couldn’t be better. The BSA’s Get in the Game! geocaching program is in full swing. Scouting magazine’s May-June cover story spotlights how one council used Get in the Game! to get boys fired up for Scouting. Look for the newest issue of Scouting in your mailbox by April 22.


About Bryan Wendell 3282 Articles
Bryan Wendell, an Eagle Scout, is the founder of Bryan on Scouting and a contributing writer.