High Energy Snacks for Hiking

The best energy snacks for hiking are ones high in carbohydrates with some protein and some fat.
Here are ideas for choosing the best high energy snacks for hiking.

Does Hiking Burn a Lot of Calories?

Why High Carbohydrates?

LARABAR

RXBAR

CLIF BAR

KASHI

Bob’s Red Mill Bar

Love Good Fats Bar

Taste of Nature Bar

Sample Backpacking Meal Plans

Does Hiking Burn a Lot of Calories?

To answer the question, “does hiking burn a lot of calories” we would have to know how fast and far you are going. You would also need to know your elevation gain and loss as these require more effort than traversing. The simple answer is “hiking may burn a lot of calories.”

In my article Best Energy Food for Hiking, I talk about using a smart device to track your calories spent on a hike. A Garmin or Apple Watch are great examples of tools that will track calories for an activity. Just a heads up that the data is not 100% accurate. If you chose to use these smart devices, look at them as a guideline to help you plan calories on a similar hike.

In the above mentioned article, I give detailed instructions for calculating calories needed on a hike. It is pretty complex. To avoid bonking, you do want to consume adequate protein, carbohydrates and fat on a hike. The easiest way to do this is:

• Eat a sandwich for every regular meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Eat high energy snacks between meals

Don’t forget hydration!

High Energy Snacks for Hiking: Why High Carbohydrates?

Choosing high energy snacks for hiking is based on my my overall strategy that ensures you get enough protein, carbohydrates and fat on a hike. In my article Best Energy Food for Hiking, I advise that one of the simplest approaches to ensure adequate calorie intake is:

• Eat a sandwich for every regular meal: Breakfast, lunch and dinner
• Eat snacks between meals

For ideas on best hiking lunches, see my article here.

High Energy Snacks for Hiking: LARABAR

What I love about this high energy snack for hiking is that it tastes GREAT! If you love chocolate brownies you’ll love this hiking snack as it’s chewy and filled with chocolate in every bite. It’s not tough and pieces won’t get stuck in your teeth. We also love them for their minimal ingredients.

Where to buy LARABAR?

LARABAR is available at most grocery stores. In Canada you can find them at Zehrs and at Wegmans or Whole Foods in the U.S. Bulk price at Walmart: $1.06 each.

High Energy Snacks for Hiking: RXBAR

This high energy snack for hiking delivers on carbs, protein and fat. In fact with its high protein content, two of these can be used as a complete meal on your hike. Peanut Butter chocolate is my favourite flavour. This bar is a little chewier than the LARABAR, but it is still great and does not get stuck in your teeth. It also has very few ingredients, which is a good thing.

Where to buy RXBAR?

RXBAR used to only be available in the U.S. (Wegmans) but can now be found on the shelves of grocery stores in Canada, like Zehrs and on Amazon. Bulk price on Amazon: $2.37 each.

High Energy Snacks for Hiking: CLIF BAR

Clif Bars have been around for a long time and are great high energy snack for hiking. Their taste is phenomenal. It kind of reminds me of eating a yummy granola breakfast. As with many energy bars, I tend to chocolate flavours. The peanut butter banana is great as well as their chocolate brownie. They do not get stuck in your teeth. With the high protein and carbohydrate content, two of these Clif Bars could make a meal.

Where to buy Clif Bars?

Clif Bars are available in many grocery stories in the U.S. and Canada from Walmart, to Zehrs to Wegmans, Amazon and elsewhere. Bulk price on Amazon: $1.07 each.

High Energy Snacks for Hiking: Kashi

When it comes to high energy snacks for hiking, cereal bars have come a long way. We like this Kashi bar because it’s close to tasting like a chocolate chip cookie. Definitely not any issues with the bar getting stuck to your teeth. While it is whole grain, it does have quite a few ingredients like xanthan gum soy lecithin, natural flavor etc. I tend toward bars with fewer ingredients. This bar is also not gluten or dairy free. We testsed the Cocoa 7 grain bar.

Where to buy Kashi bars?

Kashi bars are available at Walmart, Amazon and select grocery stores. Bulk price at Walmart: $0.85 each.

High Energy Snacks for Hiking: Bob’s Red Mill Oat Bars

This is a new high energy snack on the market from a familiar brand, Bob’s Red Mill. This peanut butter and chocolate bar is gluten free. I’m a sweet hound so liked the sweet bite of the bar. The overall flavour was great and it was nice and chewy. The price is higher than other bars at $2.50 each (Amazon). It is also a little dry as I find it important to have moisture in my food while hiking to make it easier to chew. The bar did not get stuck in my teeth while eating. We tested the peanut butter & chocolate bar.

Where to buy Bob’s Red Mill Bars?

Bob’s Red Mill bars are available in Walmart, select grocery stores and Amazon. Bulk price on Amazon: $2.50 each.

High Energy Snacks for Hiking: Love Good Fats Bars

We LOVED trying this new high energy snack bar! We both love salted caramel treats and this bar did not disappoint. It’s soft but still crunchy. It’s also surprisingly not too sweet and pieces did not get stuck in our teeth. The “good fats” are coconut oil (and nuts). I’m not a fan of coconut oil but you can’t even taste it in this bar. We tested the salted caramel bar.

Where to buy Love Good Fats bars?

Love Good Fats bars are available at select grocery stores, Walmart and Amazon. Bulk price at Walmart: $1.74 each.

High Energy Snacks for Hiking: Taste of Nature Bars

Why we love this high energy snack is that it tastes like a good old fashioned Rice Krispies square. It is fairly nutty tasting on the first bite. Overall the taste is not bad. I personally prefer a sweeter bar. The seeds also tend to get stuck in your teeth. For the older hikers that remember the days of Power Bars that clung to your teeth with every bite, the Taste of Nature Bar is mild in comparison. We tested the Vanilla Almond bar.

Where to buy Taste of Nature bars?

Taste of Nature bars are available at Costco, Walmart, Amazon and select grocery stores. Bulk price at Walmart: $0.89.

Sample Backpacking Meal Plans

Here are examples of meal plans based on the formula:

• Eat a sandwich for every regular meal, breakfast, lunch and dinner (See article High Energy Lunches)
• Eat high energy snacks between meals

These meal plans are ones I would prepare for myself based on consuming an average of 1750 calories on non-hike days and burning approximately 220 calories per hour hiking mountains. Calorie breakdown is shown for those that count calories and to give an idea of how many more calories I consume on hike vs non-hike days. Note that it is not necessary to replace every calorie burned hiking.

See my Hiking Guide for ideas on training, route planning and more!

Backpacking Meal Plan #1: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Hike

	Calories
Bob’s Red Mill Bar	226
Chicken & Cheese Wrap	437
Kashi Bar	145 hiking calories
Breakfast, Snack & Dinner at home	1250
	1913 total calories (vs 1750 on non-hike days)

Backpacking Meal Plan #2: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hike

	Calories
Pumpernickel sandwich	549
Pita Pizza	436
LARABAR X 2	402
RXBAR	221
	1608 hiking calories
Breakfast & Dinner at home	900 non-hiking calories
	2508 total calories (vs 1750 on non-hike days)

Backpacking Meal Plan #3: 3 a.m. to 3 p.m. Hike

	Calories
Baguette/Cream Cheese/Pepperoni	577
Bagel Sandwich	404
CLIF Bar	276
Kashi Bar	145
Love Good Fats Bar	209
	1,611 hiking calories
Breakfast & Dinner at home	900 non-hiking calories
	2,511 total calories (vs 1750 on non-hike days)

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