Hiking has its many rewards – discovering places of natural beauty, breathing in the fresh air, and spending quality time with friends or by yourself. Now add to that list the truly satisfying feeling of diving into a well-earned snack on the trail.
When deciding on what snacks to pack, stick with nutrient-rich options you like that add up to enough calories to keep you properly fueled. Learn more about these hiking snack tips and specific hiking snack ideas below.
What to Look for in Hiking Snacks
Here are four basic rules to consider when selecting your hiking snacks:
- Packability. Look out for snacks that are easy to grab and eat, whether you’re seated or need to toss something in your mouth while on the move. Avoid snacks that need refrigeration, like yogurt. Also, consider the waste of the product – that is, how much it produces and if you can easily pack the trash back out.
- Durability. Choose snacks that do not crumble apart, melt, get crushed or squished, or make a mess. Avoiding this will make your snacking much more enjoyable.
- Healthfulness. Choose hiking snacks that have a ratio of about equal parts complex carbohydrates, lean protein, and healthy fats. Complex carbohydrates are primarily found in plant foods. Whole grains, fruits, and vegetables are all complex carbs. Lean protein keeps you full longer and supports your muscles during and after the hike. Healthy fats, like nuts and cheese, slowly release energy and are needed to absorb key vitamins. You will likely want sugars on your hike, but try to stick to natural sugars, like those found in fruits.
- Likeability. This may seem obvious, but you definitely want to pack snacks that you’re excited to eat. A real letdown on a hike is pulling open your bag when you’re hungry only to dig into some grub you don’t particularly like.
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How Much Food to Bring on Your Hike
Pro tip: Plan on packing about 200-300 calories for every hour or so of hiking
It’s generally better to have food left over after your hike, as opposed to not having enough and feeling famished. Not having enough food can be more than a problem of feeling hungry if you’re going on a long hike or are backpacking. You can become lethargic or compromise your mobility from overexerted muscles that aren’t getting the required nutrients. That said, overpacking food can weigh down your pack, so it’s all about finding balance.
To get the Goldilocks amount of food for your hike, take into account:
- The length and difficulty of your hike. Plan all of your meals and snacks for the total amount of time you’ll be hiking, whether it’s a few hours or a few days. Also, a more grueling hike with considerable elevation change or challenging weather will require more fuel to get you through.
- The average calories needed per hour. You can generally plan on needing about 200-300 calories per hour of hiking. Other factors can affect this number, but it remains a good rule of thumb.
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Our Favorite Hiking Snack Ideas
Trail Mix
Trail mix takes its rightful place at the top of our list. It meets all the important hiking snack nutritious requirements – it’s very easy to pack and it’s versatile. You can buy pre-made trail mix, or better yet, make your own to cater to your own tastes. Extra points if you buy in bulk and use eco-friendly packaging like reusable silicone bags. Go tropical with coconut strips, macadamia nuts, and banana chips. Try adding chocolate chips for some added sweetness. Or go fruity with loads of dried fruits like craisins, raisins, and dates.
Protein & Energy Bars
Sure to be on anyone’s hiking snack ideas list are protein and energy bars. There’s no shortage of protein or energy bar options these days, even in gas stations and convenience stores. Besides the convenience of purchasing them, they’re also optimally convenient to eat on the go.
Some bars are lower in protein and/or calories, so check the packaging for nutritional details, particularly how many calories and protein the bar has. The bar should complement your other snacks to deliver the calories and nutrients you need for any hike.
Fruit
Pro tip: Try freezing grapes in advance for a refreshing treat
Fruit is a natural, nutrient-packed way to bring your blood sugar up when your energy drops. When it comes to hiking, fruit can come in fresh, dried, or leather forms. Great, packable fresh fruit includes apples, oranges, and bananas (make sure they don’t get squashed at the bottom of your bag). Grapes are another wonderful fresh fruit. If it’s hot out, try freezing your grapes for a refreshing treat.
Favorite dried fruit options include apples, figs, dates, apricots, mangos, cherries, and cranberries. These pair wonderfully with nuts!
Finally, for those who aren’t familiar with fruit leather, it’s a less sweet, more natural version of the Fruit Rollups you had in your lunch box as a kid. These provide all the benefits of fruit while taking up less space in your bag and without any chance of spoiling.
Dried Meat
Dried meats take up little space and are loaded with protein. Just about any kind of dried meat will do including jerkies, salami, beef sticks, summer sausage, or prosciutto. Don’t forget about fish jerkies, like salmon! Yum!
Veggies
Packable, grabbable, and chock-full of complex carbs, veggies are not to be overlooked as a trail snack companion. You can go with crunchy, easy-to-munch-on favorites, like carrots, bell peppers, broccoli, or sugar snap peas. Dried veggies are also a delicious option such as dried seaweed or salty-crunch kale chips.
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DIY Delicious, Energizing Treats
Store aisles are lined with not-so-healthy sugary treats. Fortunately, there’s a growing number of healthier sweets made with complex carbs, natural sugars, and superfood ingredients. Pick out your favorite pre-made goodies to satisfy a sweet tooth on the trail, or make your own DIY energizing treat. Some DIY hiking snack ideas are:
- Healthy pancakes – make some bite-sized pancakes with your favorite healthy recipe that features wheat flour, rolled oats, or another complex carbohydrate. Some stores also carry protein-heavy pancake mixes.
- Energy balls – there are all sorts of quick recipes out there for these no-bake goodies, but the basic ingredients include a nut butter, rolled oats, chia and/or flax seeds, cacao nibs, and honey.
- Muffin bites – make your own superfood mini muffins. Find a recipe online, or make one up of your own. First make a batter with wheat or oat flour, rolled oats, seeds, dried fruit, coconut oil, butter, and a sweetener like honey, coconut sugar, or agave syrup. Pour the batter into small muffin molds and cook for about 10 minutes, depending on the batter and size of your tin.
Are you ready for your adventure? Plan your camping trip!
Check with your Local Government Organization
Many policies have been established to counter and control the coronavirus outbreak. State and local officials have been taking decisive action to stop the spread. The policies vary by state, sometimes to a great degree. When you book a reservation, make sure to review the park and state’s latest rules and regulations prior to your visit.
For COVID-19 updates, please visit our Impacted Park List and Reservation Guide for the latest information.