Boy Scout Merit Badge Requirements

Boy Scouts of America who wish to complete the requirements for a whitewater merit badge can do so in a professionally managed river environment with the help of Echo Canyon River Expeditions.

The ECHO program is geared towards addressing the items that tend to be difficult for a boy scout troop to accomplish as the equipment required is expensive, specialized and often difficult to transport. In addition, we have easy access to the Arkansas River, a world class outdoor classroom, which offers a variety of locations to practice the skills outlined below. For questions about the Boy Scout Whitewater Merit Badge and the ECHO program, please contact our office at 1-800-755-ECHO(3246).

• Identify and explain the use of safety equipment on running water.
• Explain the International Scale of River Difficulty and apply the scale to the stretch of river where you are practicing and demonstrating your whitewater skills. Identify the specific characteristics of the river that are factors in your classification according to the International Scale.
• Explain how to scout and read a river both while afloat and from ashore. Explain open and closed V's, shoals with broken or dancing water, boils, strainers, broken drops, haystacks, dams, falls and lowhead obstructions, eddies, whirlpools, crosscurrents, flat rocks, standing waves, sheer drops, and heavy water. Demonstrate your ability to read the river where you are practicing and demonstrating your whitewater skills.
• Identify paddles designed for whitewater use and explain their special characteristics.
• Demonstrate forward, backward, and sideways movement on running water using a single- or double-bladed paddle in a kayak or decked canoe.
• While paddling alone or with a partner in an open canoe, or while alone in a kayak, demonstrate forward and back ferry, eddy turn, peeling out of an eddy, and high and low braces.
• Explain and demonstrate:
  • Self-rescue and procedures when capsized in running water
  • Safe rescue of others in various whitewater situations
  • Portaging -- when and how to do it
  • The whitewater buddy system using at least three persons and three craft
• Discuss the use of inflatable boats on moving water. Explain how to safely outfit and use an inflatable boat in whitewater including the type of craft suited to certain water conditions, how to maneuver the craft on the water, and what special safety precautions should be taken when using an inflatable boat.
• Explain the risks of "tubing" on moving water.
• Participate in a 1-day whitewater trip for beginners. Help to prepare a written plan specifying route, schedule, equipment, safety precautions, and emergency procedures. Determine local rules and obtain permission from local property owners. Explain what steps you have taken to comply with the BSA Safety Afloat and the American Whitewater Affiliation Safety Code. Execute the plan with others.

• Whitewater Merit Badge: $105

Camp Alexander, located in the beautiful Elevenmile Canyon in the Pike National Forest - Camp Alexader- Lake George, CO