Are you looking for a list of great hiking snacks for your family’s next adventure out on the trails? If yes, then you’re in luck. Our family has been hiking together for over a decade (my husband & I for even longer) and along the way we’ve tried a TON of different snacks ideas. Some of these choices ended up being a waste of space (bulky items or empty calories) and other snacks ended up being perfect for our family hikes!
As a parent myself, I realize how precious time can be when planning a vacation and days out on the trails. Snacks are probably the last thing you want to spend your time thinking about, but honestly, having the right hiking snacks can seriously make or break your family’s experience.
There is nothing worse than being out on the trails in a beautiful environment and you or your kids start getting hungry. Now as a parent, you’re probably able to put your hunger aside for a little while so that you can enjoy where you’re at. But for a child, this can seem near impossible. And when a child becomes hungry, their behavior can go downhill quite quickly and nobody wants that. But there’s an easy solution and it only takes a little preparation.
This is how I’d like to help. Below I’ve compiled information on what we think makes a great hiking snack, ideas on how to conveniently carry snacks while on the trails and a list of our favorite snacks to hike with! I will even let you in our favorite hiking motivator snack idea for kids! (And you may already have this in your home.)
The snacks listed below are the snacks that we always have on hands when our family hits the trails. And it is these snacks that have let our family hike longer & farther, allowing us to see some really amazing places! Places that we were able to hike to because we didn’t have to worry about hurrying back because someone was hungry. And places where we could really get away from the crowds.
This is the information I’d like to share with you. Information so that you too can easily prepare for longer and more amazing hikes with your family’s “Traveling Feet!”
What Makes A Great Hiking Snack?
- Choose snacks that will actually Fill You Up & Give You Energy (empty calories just waste space)
- Look for snacks that Pack Easily and Compactly
- Don’t bring snacks that Crumble or Break Easily
- Avoid Messy Snacks
- Bring snacks that Don’t Need Refrigeration
- Avoid snacks that can Melt. (Like chocolate on a hot day)
- Have a Variety to change things up for your taste buds
- To Save Money, look for snacks that are Available in Bulk or Family Sized
- For Convenience, look for Individually Wrapped Snacks.
- **Bring Snacks that Your Family Actually Likes!**
Hiking Snack Packing Tips
When out hiking on the trails, no one wants to spend their time digging around the bottom of their hiking bag, trying to find something to eat. Let alone spend time trying to find the actual snack they want out of the several floating around their bag. This is why I want to let you in on how we pack our family’s hiking snacks when we hit the trails. These packing tips are what works best for our family and I hope they can help your family too.
1. Put all of your snacks into one quart sized (preferably clear) bag.
- First, I gather all the different snacks that I want to bring. If the snack comes in bulk then I grab the snack sized amount that I want to bring and put it into a sandwich or snack sized resealable bags. (This is a link to the reusable bags variety pack that I like (gallon, sandwich & snack sized!) Then I put these snack sized bags, along with any individually wrapped snacks all into one quart sized bag. (I then label it, because I make up similar bags to have with me on airplane flights and for in the car. It just makes my life easier while traveling.)
- Now there are no loose items floating around your hiking bag, just the one quart bag with every snack in it. This quart sized bag makes snacks so much easier to find!
- This also makes snack distribution for families so much easier! Everyone can more easily see what snacks are available all at once and then simply choose what they want!
2. If you will have multiple hikes on a vacation, prepack several hiking snack bags before your trip that you can bring with you.
- This way you’ll have less to think about while on vacation. Just grab your pre-made bag of various snacks and you’re ready to hit the trails.
- Also, prepacking some snacks will make sure that your family will have snacks that you actually like, instead of having to rely on what the local gas station or grocery store may have.
3. Make sure you look into if your hike requires a bear canister to store food while hiking?
- Several popular hiking destinations that Require Bear Canisters are:
- Yosemite National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Glacier National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park (backcountry), Sequoia & Kings Canyon, Lassen Volcanic National Park, etc – so make sure you check out the requirements for where you will be visiting so you don’t get a ticket.
- If you need a bear canister, know that you should stick with ones that are approved by the national park services. These are the canisters that they have tested with bears and are approved to be effective.
- The approved Bear Canister we like for our family is the Bear Vault BV450. It is pretty big for a short hike, but we like it because it can hold enough food for our family to have a few snacks or a small lunch while out on the trails in possible bear country.
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Now for Our Favorite Hiking Snacks
1. Stick Pretzels
Pretzels in general are great but Stick Pretzels are one of my favorite “Go To” hiking snacks whenever our family heads out and hits the trails. They don’t take up much room in your hiking bag. They are easy for kids to share or parents to distribute. And they don’t melt, crumble or make any kind of mess! (This means they are also great for a snack in the car too!)
The Snyder’s brand of pretzels are my kids favorite (if you’re looking for a brand to try.) In fact, we used to buy a different brand and then one day I bought Snyder’s pretzels on a whim and my kids were instantly hooked!
With pretzels, I like to buy the big family size bag (to save money) and then use small reusable bags (see below) when we hike. This way we can easily seal the bag up between snacking (and they won’t fall out everywhere or get stale).
Snyder’s also makes gluten free pretzels too!
Where to Find: Most regular grocery or convenience stores seem to carry Snyder’s pretzels. But if you can’t find them, want convenience or simply want to check out all of Snyder’s different types of pretzels then you can also check out Amazon for their selection.
2. Almonds
Almonds are an amazing, healthy snack for out on the trails. I love how they are not only incredibly filling, but they also hardly take up any space. And better yet, they come in a variety of flavors to fit whatever mood you are in. But best of all, my kids love them too!
Blue Diamond Almonds is the brand we like the best (and we’ve tried a ton of brands.) They are just sooo good! Our favorite flavors are:
- Roasted Salted Almonds (Our whole family loves this flavor.)
- Dark Chocolate Almonds (These are my favorite!)
- Whole Natural (A great natural flavor.)
- Smokehouse Almonds (This is my husband & eldest son’s favorite!)
They also come other fun flavors like Salt N’ Vinegar, Habanero BBQ, and Wasabi & Soy Sauce.
And they just came out with a new flavor Toasted Coconut! Yummy! I’m so excited!
Where to Find: Many of the above flavors can be found at any grocery or convenience store, but a couple of them (like Toasted Coconut and Salt N’ Vinegar) have been harder for me to find. Luckily, Amazon has them all!
3. Cheese Crackers & Peanut Butter Crackers
These are great hiking snacks to bring with you when your family is out hitting the trails. They are compact, filling and extremely convenient for when you just need something to quickly “Grab & Go!”
My youngest absolutely loves these crackers when hiking and we always make sure that we have a pack or two with us when we head out the door. The variety packs also make a great way to change up what you’re munching on if you are hiking for multiple days or with multiple people!
Where to Find: These crackers should be easy to find at most grocery or convenience stores or online.
4. Trail Mix
Trail Mix is the gold standard when you think of hiking snacks. And you can even make up your own with all of your personal favorites! But if you don’t have the time, desire or any of the ingredients to mix up your own batch of trail mix, then you can easily pick up some at almost any store. If you are looking to try something new or for a trail mix that’s extremely tasty check out this one here.
5. Oat Cereal
Oat Square Cereals are one incredible hiking snack that for some reason I always crave on a road trip or while hiking. (And strangely enough, this isn’t even a cereal I eat for breakfast.) But on trips/ hikes I love how these little squares fill me right up. They are also extremely tasty and not messy either. And my kids love snacking on them too! This all makes for a perfect hiking snack.
Nature Valley Cereal Baked Oat Bites ranks right up there too. (But I have had a harder time finding this recently. For some reason the grocery stores near me no longer carry it and its availability is hit or miss on Amazon.)
Where to Find: Most regular grocery stores will carry Cracklin’ Oat Bran.
6. Beef Jerky
Beef Jerky is another perfect hiking snack! And this snack is especially great when you’re looking for something that is not carbohydrate or nut-based. I personally love having beef jerky available when our hike crosses into a meal time. It always seems to hit the right spot and satisfy our family’s hunger during these times.
Where to Find: Beef Jerky packs can be found at most convenience stores or grocery stores, but if you have a big, hungry family like mine is, then you might want to check out the family sized packages like this one.
7. Dried Fruit
Dried fruit is a perfect hiking snack because sometimes when you’re out on the trail, you want something a little bit sweet but healthy. Unfortunately many fresh fruits are hard to hike with because they need to be kept cold or they bruise easily. In the past we’ve enjoyed taking fruits like grapes, clementines or apples if we know that we will be snacking early into our hike. We’ve also tried dried cranberries, raisins and other dried fruits too. These are great but I don’t like how they can make your finger’s sticky.
That’s why I was so excited when I discovered these freeze-dried fruit snacks! They are 100% pure fruit, the pouches contain large pieces (which are easier to hold) and since they are freeze-dried, they don’t leave your fingers sticky at all. But best of all, they’re absolutely delicious!
Flavors Available: Apple, Pear, Tangerine, Mango, Pineapple, Banana and Cantaloupe
Where to Find: Honestly, I’ve never seen this at my local grocery store but I have been able to consistently find them on Amazon if you’re looking to try this tasty snack too.
8. Gummy Bears
Gummy Bears are my favorite “something sweet” to bring with us while hiking. Really any candy that doesn’t melt would do, but to me, nothing beats a gummy bear when out on the trails. So don’t forget to pack that “something sweet” for a nice treat!
9. Crackers
Any type of crackers (that don’t break easily) are also a great hiking snacks for out on the trails. Just throw it in a bag and you’re ready to go. Crackers that our family have liked best over the years (if you are looking for ideas) are Keebler Club Cracker Minis, Triscuit Thin Crisps, and Crunchmaster Multi-Seed Crackers (Roasted Garlic/ Gluten-Free). All three of these crackers are so yummy and our kids love them too!
10. Your Child’s Favorite Dry Cereal
This is a great hiking snack food that is especially perfect for kids. And it’s so simple! Just put some of their favorite cereal into a little bag for them to eat dry. Cereals that work best are ones that are large enough to grab individual pieces and cereals that won’t easily smush or crumble.
11. Granola Bars/ Trail Mix Bars/ Breakfast Bars
There are so many different types of bars out there that would be perfect for hiking. Most grocery stores are full of them. Just make sure that which ever type you choose, that it doesn’t melt of crumble easily. Other than that, these types of hiking snacks work great for out on the trails with kids!
Hiking Motivators for Kids
12. Tic Tacs
Did you know that Tic Tacs hold Secret Powers? Well, not really. But when my kids were young Tic Tacs held the key to many a successful hike for our family.
Tic Tacs were our “power pellets” when we hiked. And when a hike was long or I sensed that my kids were getting tired, I would just pull out our Tic Tacs and present them with one tic tac that gave them a “special power.” This power could have been a “boost of energy”, “extra leg power” (for steep portions of trails) or maybe “super vision” if we were looking for animals along the trail. And our kids even had fun making up their own powers too! This was a great hiking motivator for our kids!
So if this sounds like something that your kids might enjoy too then definitely think about grabbing a pack of Tic Tacs before the next time you hit the trails!
Snacks for Longer/ All Day Hikes
13. Honey Stinger Organic Waffle
Great sweet snack for when you need some extra energy on that long hike! And they’re flat so they pack really easily too. For kids these waffles are like a dessert! They are much tastier and more palatable for them than many other energy bars out there.
14. Clif Bloks – Energy Chews
Clif Bloks Energy Chews are perfect for long hikes! Each pack has 6 pieces (which is awesome when splitting a pack with our family of 5), they taste great (and our kids love the taste too!) Clif Bloks are perfect when you’re looking for a little boost of energy when out on the trails.
15. Clif Bars
I hope you found some great snack ideas for your next family hike!
Have a Great Hike With Your “Traveling Feet!”
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