Snacks play an important role in maintaining a good level of energy while hiking, running out of steam on the trail is a bad situation to find yourself in so here is our list of great hiking snacks that will make great additions to your next adventure.

Remember before you set off that bringing snacks with you is important because without them you risk running of energy midway through a very energy intensive activity and will make your time out walking far harder than it will need to be so without further introduction here is our top five hiking snacks to get you started with your planning.

1. Scroggin/Trail Mix

Trail Mix or more commonly known as Scroggin is a great snack to bring on a hike because it includes a great mixture of different snacks like nuts, granola, Dried fruit and sometimes a little bit of chocolate. This mixture makes for a fantastic snack to bring with you and is made even better by how easy it is to make.

Ingredients needed to make:

• Nuts

• Granola

• Dried Fruit

• Optional Chocolate

• Anything else you would like (Pretzels, Seeds, Marshmallow, etc)

Equipment required:

• Resealable Zip-Lock Bag

To make your trail mix simply get all the ingredients you would like to add to your mixture, get a medium to large zip-lock bag and then mix them altogether and pack it into your pack. Now you should have a nice big bag of trail mix to munch on when you need a snack or a little energy boost while you walk.

2. Dried Fruits

Dried fruits are another great snack you can take with you to your next hike, there are many different fruits you can choose from like apricots, raisins, oranges, apples, bananas, mangos, prunes, figs, dates and more, with so many options you are bound to find one you like that you can bring with you for your next walk.

Ingredients needed to make:

• The Dried Fruit of your Choice

Equipment required:

• Resealable Zip-Lock Bag

Very little preparation is required unless you plan to make a mixture of multiple of these dried fruits, if you want to make your own mix all you need is to get the fruits you like most and a zip-lock bag and simply mix them all together in one yummy bag of delicious dried fruits ready for a long day of hiking.

3. Energy Bars

Energy bars are a good way to boost your energy during a lengthy hike and there are many brands and flavours out there meaning there is quite a wide range that you can choose from, having this wide range means you are bound to find one you like and will give you the energy to push through and are not completely burnt out.

Ingredients needed to make:

• The energy bar of your choice

Energy bars simplify the preparation part of packing snacks and work very well in conjunction with other snacks, some of the flavours you can get include berry, chocolate and many more depending on what brand you buy from. If you have worked breakfast bars into your hiking menu then it might be a good idea to go with a different snack so you aren't getting sick of eating bars and are getting a balanced diet especially because some bars can have a lot of sugar in them.

4. Fresh Fruit

Nothing beats fresh fruit and that is why they make a great hiking snack, packing a few apples or mandarins can make snack times a real treat without eating something that is processed like dried fruits and energy bars so maybe it's time to work them into your hiking menu.

Ingredients needed to make:

• All the fruit of your choice (apple, banana, mandarins, etc)

Remember that when you are packing this fruit you will need to calculate how many you will need to take with you based off how many you eat a day and how many days you will be hiking. Also make sure that you deal with any waste such as banana peels and mandarin skins in the proper way and don't leave any foreign material in our natural spaces and parks.

5. Biscuits and Crackers

Another good, quick and easy snack is Biscuits and Crackers, to most they can seem a little plain but there are many crackers out there that come with a little more flavour or substance including the very popular Vitawheat which makes a brilliant snack.

Ingredients needed to make:

• Cracker or Biscuit

Equipment required:

• Resealable Zip-Lock Bag

You may like one cracker in particular but there is no need to only go for one, you can always take a little more time to find all the crackers you like and mix them all into one big zip-lock bag which you can open and munch on over the course of a multi-day hike. This option is great for someone who is a little more picky about what they get and gives you a little more choice on what to snack on.

So now you should be ready to take on your next hike with snacks in hand and also in your mouth, don't forget to plan good meals as snacks should only be a substitute not the meal itself. On the trail you will burn lots of energy so snacks can play an important role in getting some of this back into your body especially if you are walking long days without break days in-between.

Looking for more recipe ideas? Well check out our recipes page here.

Written by Josh Welch