Apple Watch users can earn a new National Parks badge today

Apple Watch owners have another lActivity Challenge to complete today. The 2026 National Parks challenge once again requires just 20 minutes of activity, so this should be one of the easier Apple Watch badges to pick up this year.

The challenge is Apple’s annual nod to national parks, and it is available to Apple Watch users around the world. You don’t actually need to visit a national park to earn it, so a walk around the neighbourhood will do just as well.

How to complete the 2026 National Parks challenge

The task is very similar to the past couple of years. Apple Watch owners need to record a walk, run, hike or wheelchair push lasting at least 20 minutes today.

There is no distance requirement. That is a change from some of the older National Parks challenges, when Apple required users to complete a workout of at least one mile, and in some years considerably more.

Apple describes the 2026 challenge as follows:

Earning this award is a walk in the park. Or a run. Or a hike. Or a wheelchair push. Just record one of these workouts for 20 minutes or more on August 23.

So there isn’t much complexity here. Start one of the eligible workouts on your Apple Watch, keep it running for at least 20 minutes and you should qualify for the award.

At a normal walking pace, 20 minutes works out at roughly a mile or a little more for many people. But distance isn’t what Apple is measuring for this challenge. Twenty minutes is the figure that counts.

A new badge and stickers

Those who complete today’s challenge will receive a limited-edition award in the Fitness app along with a new collection of animated stickers.

The 2026 sticker set is different from last year’s collection. Here it is below.

Apple has been running National Parks Activity Challenges for years, although the requirements have changed quite a bit along the way. The 2019 version, for example, required a three-mile workout, while the 2021 challenge asked for at least one mile. More recent editions have settled on the much simpler 20-minute target.

This year’s challenge also coincides with a wider National Parks push from Apple. From August 21 through August 28, Apple is donating $10 to the National Park Foundation for qualifying Apple Pay purchases made through Apple Stores, the Apple Store app and Apple’s US website. Apple is also featuring National Parks content across services including Maps, Podcasts, Fitness+ and the App Store.

Sources: Apple, MacRumors