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When I first began hiking I would hit the trail with little more than the lint in my pockets and then find myself losing steam halfway through my hike.
In fact most times I would reach the end of an outing drained of both energy and patience…
Afterall a hungry hiker is a cranky hiker!
Needless to say, I soon realized the importance of bringing along some essentials, including snacks. The truth is you don’t need to be a long distance back-packer to bring food on your hike, even a day hiker needs sustenance!
So I’ve put together a list of the five best snacks to take with you on the trail, not only to keep hunger at bay, but to help you stay energized.
GORP: (Good Ol’ Raisins and Peanuts) Also known as trail mix, is far and away my favorite snack on the trail. GORP is tasty, economical and available anywhere, in a multitude of varieties and flavors. Whether you buy it or make it, in whatever flavor you prefer, with whatever ingredients you prefer GORP is as close to the the perfect food you’re going to find when you’re out on the trail.
Snickers: “Snickers really satisfies!” is not just a product slogan, it is gospel out on the trail. The Snickers bar is the OG (Original Gangsta) of energy bars, and is far and away superior to all of the overpriced, over-hyped new age energy bars. They are cheaper, available everywhere and best of all… They don’t taste like sawdust!
Hard Cheese & Crackers: Hard cheeses are one of my favorites out on the trail. Granted it takes a little preparation before hand, you’ll want to cut the cheese before you hit the trail (no pun intended); but the small amount of effort required is definitely worth the rewards. Nothing beats a few wedges of Asiago, Coverdale or cheddar cheese on a cracker halfway through a hike.
Granola: Granola like GORP is tasty, economical and available anywhere, in a multitude of varieties and flavors. It is easy to find, easy to pack and tasty to eat!
Beef Jerky: Beef jerky, real beef jerky is a fantastic trail snack. It’s tasty, lightweight and offers a great balance of fat, protein, and carbohydrates. It is readily available at most stores and keeps really well in a backpack or pocket.
That’s my list, although far from comprehensive these snacks always seem to find their way into my pack. How about you? What trail snacks do you recommend? Do you have any favorites that didn’t make my list? Leave me a comment and let me know!
Diary of a Day Hiker 
Unfortunately, I only get real serious about food when backpacking. I have a bad habit of not packing enough food for day hikes — like if it isn’t already in the house, it isn’t packed. But, for in between meals on backpacking trips my standards are: goldfish, fig newtons, and dried mango. I usually bring 5 different snacks for variety. Last trip I also brought dried cherries and peanut butter filled pretzels. Sometimes I make a really inventive trail mix. Oh, and chocolate should not be forgotten. We’ve been doing cheese and crackers for lunch.
Food isn’t really a priority for a day hike, so of course you are forgiven. Packing for a 5 day trip through the back country is clearly not the same as packing for a 5 hour trip at a local park or preserve… But still, just because it’s not a necessity I think we can all agree a mid-hike snack is a welcome luxury 🙂
I’ve been wanting to bring along some dried fruits lately. Maybe next trip I’ll try some dried cherries. Concentrated cherry juice is actually a good pain reliever. I wonder if dried cherries have the same benefit?
Thanks for stopping by and offering your input 🙂 it is always appreciated!
I get my dried fruit at Trader Joes (if you have one in your area). The dried Bing Cherries are really good.
Yep! I love Trader Joes, did you know they are owned by the same German conglomerate that owns Aldi?
Thanks for the tip 😉
Those are all great for the trail. I typically will have a little bit of everything you said. Here are the things that I always carry.
GORP either home made or store bought.
Granola Bars
Twizzlers
A cracker with a spread in the middle I am not to picky. I will say the Keebler Peanut butter on toast with artificial jelly crackers are “DISGUSTING!!!!!”
Skittles
Some type of Chocolate bar typically a Snickers bar.
Those are my favorite things. Thanks for another great post.
I think I’ll do a post on my favorite GORP recipes. The variations are almost endless, and everyone seems to love it! Twizzlers and Skittles are great but I think I’m more of a chocolate fan myself… Maybe it’s the caffeine 😉
Thanks for stopping by and offering your input Adam 🙂 it is always appreciated!