The 411 on the New Outdoor High-Adventure Badges Everyone’s Talking About

The research is clear: outdoor experiences like the ones Girl Scouts offers most definitely foster leadership skills in girls. At Girl Scouts, girls get the chance to experience the great outdoors and all the wonder and adventure it entails.

Spending time in the outdoors is a cornerstone of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience and has been since Girl Scouts’ inception. Our all-girl environment and proven programming show girls the benefits of spending time in the world beyond walls in ways that encourage them to take healthy risks and overcome their fears.

Girls are forces of nature! They are resilient, curious, strong, and bold! That’s why Girl Scouts collaborated with The North Face to develop 12 Outdoor High-Adventure badges for girls in grades K to 12 to explore nature and embrace exciting outdoor adventures. These experiences, like backpacking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, rock climbing, and tree climbing, give girls the confidence to support one another, take healthy risks, and spend dedicated time in nature. It doesn’t get better than that! But, wait—it does!

NEW Girl Scout Outdoor High-Adventure badges are now available for all grades!

Girls have more choices! You may already know that in the new Outdoor High-Adventure badges girls choose from one of two paths to complete a badge. For instance, a girl who wants to do the Senior Snow Adventure badge can either challenge herself by camping out in the snow and exploring the winter wilderness or by advancing her rock-climbing skills on a two-day trip—EPIC! But don’t take it just from us! This is what Girl Scouts who tested the new Trail Adventure badge had to say:

“My favorite part about this badge was overcoming my fear. I was terrified of heights, but my fellow Girl Scouts cheered me on and helped me persevere. The climbing badge gives girls a chance to try something new! It taught me new skills, such as how to keep safe when climbing and how to find my own climbing spot.”

—Girl Scout Relena

3, 2, 1 GO! Kirsten getting ready to climb.

“Learning the skills and safety requirements necessary to be able to climb was so much fun because now that I know those things, I can go climbing at a gym whenever I want. Rock climbing is something that I really enjoy, and I like having the ability to climb hassle-free now.”

—Girl Scout Kirsten

Thanks to this new programming, Girl Scouts will be prepared to inspire even more G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ spirit in girls as they create their own outdoor adventures and develop crucial leadership skills, preparing them for a lifetime of exploration and success.

So, which Outdoor High-Adventure badge are the girls in your troop planning to do first? Check out the Girl Scouts' Official Online Store for details. We can’t wait to hear from you! Follow us on Instagram and join the conversation using #gsOutdoors!

A HUGE shout-out to our friends at The North Face for supporting the next generation of G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader™) trail-blazers. Learn more about our partnership.