Boy Scout – Trail to Eagle

The Trail to Eagle is the fulfillment of the vision of Laguna Niguel resident and long-time volunteer Dennis Mulvaney.  The trail was installed in April 2001 and depicts the advancement of a Scout from Cub Scouts through Scouts BSA.  The main purpose of the trail is to showcase the Boy Scouts of America with Eagle and community service projects completed by Scout Troops, Cub Packs, Order of the Arrow, Varsity, and Venturing Units.

The Trail to Eagle starts with an entry, “Gateway,” which opens to the Cub Scout section that includes Tigers, Bobcat, Wolf, Bear, and WEBOLOS areas. There are Tiger Paw Print stepping stones throughout this part of the trail, ending with the “Arrow of Light” bridge crossing into the Scouts BSA section.  The bridge symbolizes the bridging from WEBOLOS into Scout’s BSA and has been used for many bridging ceremonies. The Cub Scout section of the trail is relatively flat and starts to get steeper in the Scouts BSA section, representing that the requirements get harder as a Scout progresses to the Eagle Rank.

The Scouts BSA part of the trail has sections for Scout, Tenderfoot, Second Class, First Class, Star, Life, and Eagle.  The Scout section includes displays for the Scout Oath, Law, Motto, Slogan, and Outdoor Code.  The other rank sections depict the rank badges themselves or major requirements during the rank, such as the Second Class section, which has a compass face that represents the map and compass requirements of the Second Class Rank.

There are 25 projects on the Trail to Eagle, including 24 Eagle Projects and a Girl Scout Silver Award Project. In addition, the trail includes trees planted as part of an Adopt-A-Tree Initiative, adding shade to this once-exposed hillside. The Trail to Eagle continues to be a home for Scouts to fulfill their Scout patches, merit badges, and Eagle Scout projects. More projects will be built in the future to complete the vision of Dennis Mulvaney’s Master Plan and tribute to scouting.