Ranger Award

The medal is an antique silver colored roundel suspended from a white and green ribbon that is in turn suspended from a bar. The medal is inscribed with a compass rose with the BSA universal badge at the top and the word RANGER at the bottom. A powderhorn is in the center on a green enameled background. The bar is inscribed with RANGER. The Ranger bar is available as a separate item for informal uniform wear. There is no square knot insignia and no plans to add one, as the Venturing Summit is the highest award in Venturing and thus the only award on par to have a knot with Eagle Scout (Scouts BSA program), Quartermaster (Sea Scout program), and Arrow of Light (Cub Scout program).

The Ranger Bar originally was raised Silver letters on back to match the Ranger bar above the metal however it was changed to be polished sterling silver with black engraved letters around 2006.

To earn the Ranger Award, Venturers must complete core requirements and electives. The requirements are the most challenging award requirements in the Boy Scouts of America and it's not uncommon for this award to take a year or longer to achieve. Compared to Eagle Scout, an Eagle Scout must earn the first aid merit badge, by becoming certified in standard first aid. To earn the first aid elective, a Ranger must complete a 16-hour Wilderness first aid course plus an 8 hour CPR Course so the total training is a minimum of 24 hours. There are eight requirements, called Core Requirements, that must be earned by all Ranger Candidates. In addition, a Venturer must complete four out of eighteen requirements, called Electives.

To earn the Ranger Award, all Venturers must earn the following awards:

1. First Aid
2. Communications
3. Cooking
4. Emergency Preparedness
5. Land Navigation
6. Leave No Trace
7. Wilderness Survival
8. Conservation

To earn the Ranger Award, Venturers must earn four of the following:

1. Backpacking
2. Cave Exploring
3. Cycling/Mountain Biking
4. Ecology
5. Equestrian
6. First Aid (Different from the Core Requirement)
7. Fishing
8. Hunting
9. Lifesaver (Lifeguarding)
10. Mountaineering
11. Outdoor Living History
12. Physical Fitness
13. Plants and Wildlife
14. Project COPE
15. Scuba
16. Shooting Sports
17. Watercraft
18. Winter Sports