Our 10 Favorite Hiking Snacks for Outdoor Adventure

We do a LOT of hiking, which means we are always testing out the best hiking snacks for kids and ourselves. I’m here to share healthier options to keep the kids energized and fueled during those beautiful days outdoors.

So you won’t find candy options here (though I know many parents use it for motivation to keep those little legs moving!), but you’ll find easy snacks for hikes with kids to make the journey easier.

Check out the best snacks to bring on a hike for kids, adults, or pretty much anyone that needs a fuel-up during a great day outdoors. These are all snacks we’ve personally tested with the kids and have been approved by them!

Please remember to leave no trace! That means you pack alllll of your garbage, wrappers, cores, peels, etc. out of the area you are hiking. Do not feed the wildlife and do not dispose of extra/unwanted food by throwing it into the trees.

Our Favorite Snacks to Bring on a Hike for the Family!

1. Beef Sticks

Beef sticks make a great hiking snack. They’re filled with protein, fats, calories, but not sugar. My kids love these ones and eat them all year-long. I love that they’re grass-fed, making them a higher quality beef. They have different varieties, including turkey sticks.

This is a great alternative to a bag of chips. It has protein and nutrients, plus a little kick of salt which will help especially if you’ve been hiking with any effort.

These typically make it in the hiking backpack for every hiking trip. The most recent, pictured below, was our hike to Lake Haiyaha where we got to enjoy the beef stick snacks with a bit of scenery!

2. Yogurt Melts

Yes, the little ones you use to feed your baby. My kids love these.

These make a great little sweet treat without resorting to candy. They come in many flavors, and many brands. My kids loved getting these as their little sweet treat after hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Be warned, servings are small since they’re meant for a toddler, so kids like to eat half-a-bag or a whole-bag at a time.

We love the Amara brand melts, specifically the carrot mango ones! You can find them here, along with other flavors. We first discovered them at Target, but when I went back to buy more they cleared them out and brought in another brand. My kids did NOT like the new brand.

Their second-place choice (after trying many brands) are the Beech Nut Apple-Carrot-Mango flavor (pictured below in my daughter’s hands) when we can’t find the Amara ones.

3. Kids Cliff Z Bars

My kids have loved these since they were really little. The Z Bars are great because they come in different flavors (my kids love chocolate chip, oatmeal, and brownie best). They also come in a “Protein” variety, which adds a few more grams of protein than the standard Z bar.

I love the protein ones since they add a little crunch and my kids love them because they come in cookies ‘n cream.

These are great alternatives to traditional granola bars. While they do have sugar, they also have a little protein to help. Plus sometimes, we just want a chewy bar to enjoy, especially on a hike.

These are like kids energy bars, but even I like them because they aren’t chalky like adult ones are. That texture makes them especially great snacks to bring on a hike for kids.

We typically buy a variety pack so all the kids are appeased. Plus, it’s fun to try all the flavors.

4. Cliff Minis

I guess we just prefer Cliff to most other bar brands, because we also love the Cliff minis.

We originally always bought the Cliff Thins (pictured below while trekking through Great Sand Dunes National Park) but those have kind of disappeared and the Cliff Minis have taken their place.

The Minis are perfect for kids, of course, but they’re also great for adults. While the regular, original Cliff bar is a bit dense for my liking, the mini is easier to eat while still having filling ingredients. It’s lighter, has a little crisp to it, and is a great way to refuel until your next snack break.

These are as kid-friendly as the Z bars because they don’t have a pasty, chalky taste to them. They taste like an elevated granola bar.

Even better is that they come in many cool flavors, like peanut butter, chocolate chip, and white chocolate macadamia.

Grab a box of Cliff Minis for your next hike!

5. Trail Mix, the classic hiking snack

We like a good, traditional trail mix on the trail. Nuts, chocolate, and a little bit of raisins is always a good combo. While we rotate other snacks on different hikes, trail mix is pretty much always a staple we bring. From visiting Grand Teton to Colorado trails, trail mix always sounds good in the outdoors.

Honestly the flavor is just good, but the proteins and fat in the nuts is a healthy way to fuel, while the M&Ms are a great sweet kick to it all. Just be careful of taking this on a super hot day, or make sure you have a baby wipe nearby. Ours usually don’t get too melty.

We like Walmart or Costco’s basic trail mix, especially the ones that come in individual packs.

👉🏼 One of MY personal favorites is one of the Second Nature mixes, which have chocolate chunks, dried fruits (cranberries and cherries), peanuts, almonds, and cashews. Plus, they are non-GMO ingredients.

My daughter enjoying trail mix at Staunton State Park in Colorado:

6. Skinny Pop Popcorn

We love the Skinny Pop brand of popcorn. You can choose a few flavors and enjoy a a salty, crunchy snack on the trail.

The thing we love is that the kids can easily eat it while they hike, helping us make progress while also enjoying a snack. Basically it keeps their hands and mouths busy enough to keep their legs going.

We do also love the Smart Food brand, but Skinny Pop wins overall because it has roughly half the sodium while still having great flavor.

We like the Skinny Pop variety pack here, which comes with a lot. Extra can be used on future trails or as school snacks!

Skinny Pop being enjoyed as we hike through Red Rock Canyon in Colorado Springs:

7. Lunchable hiking snacks for kids

As an adult, these aren’t my favorite, but the kids love them. But I have to admit, they get a little calcium and protein that is typically mixed with a fun cookie.

A Lunchable is a lot more filling than the smaller snacks mentioned, so I do love them

These are especially great if you have a longer hike ahead. Once you arrive at the destination (a lake, castle, etc.), it’s pretty awesome to sit down and enjoy a small snack/lunch.

Lunchables come in a lot of great combos. Choose from turkey, ham, or little pizzas. Usually my kids choose based off the cookie that comes with it 😆

While I don’t personally pick Lunchables for myself, grocery stores will often have more grown-up Lunchable options (typically your local generic brand) with fruit, meat, and veggies that I do like.

📸 My kids enjoying a lunchable after a hike at Mount Falcon, with Red Rocks park in the backgroud.

8. Apples and Oranges

We’ve tried many fruits on our hikes. Unfortunately, we’ve tried bananas and pears, and trust me when I say not to pack those things. They turn straight to mush in your hiking backpack.

We do, however, like a nice juicy, crisp apple on a hike! This is refreshing thanks to the water content and crisp flavor.

Small oranges (Clementines) also work well since you can peel them. They have potential to get squished, so just pack them on top.

Just make sure to pack back the cores and peels. Do NOT throw them!

9. Dried Fruit Bags

I don’t personally like the dried fruit that ends up tasting moist and sweetened like raisins.

However, we DO all love the Bare baked crunchy fruit. These aren’t chewy like other dried fruits, but are actually dry, almost like you’re eating fruit chips.

My kids love these and they love the potential to be the one to grab the coconut bag. But all the flavors are good. And it makes for perfect, easy hiking snacks to bring along.

These are perfect snacks to take on a hike since they are contained, healthy, and a great size for snacking.

Plus, like the popcorn, the kids can easily eat it while they walk.

We love this variety pack which includes coconut, bananas, and apples.

10. Homemade Treats

I make my own protein balls, muffins, and other snacks I know my family likes. Is there a specific snack you make from scratch that your kids love?

This is a great way to eat something that’s not packaged. Just pack your favorite homemade snack into a zip bag or small container and throw it in the backpack!

These are our favorite protein balls. Like, so addictive. They use rice crispies, which you use in lieu of oats for a nice light crunch. They are pretty filling as well.

Sometimes it’s just nice to have something that’s not packaged.

Leave No Trace

As I mentioned at the beginning, make sure you never leave any trash or leftover food behind.

Pack everything back out to your car (or at the very least, make sure it makes it to a proper trash can), and don’t feed the wildlife, even if a little chipmunk is begging for a nut from your trail mix.

Learn more about Leave No Trace principles and how to recreate responsibly, and why it’s so important!

Best Hiking Snacks for Families

In the many years we’ve brought snacks hiking, these have been our favorite! Next time you hike, swap the candy for one of these better picks and see if your child finds new snacks to bring on a hike that they enjoy.

These will keep them fuller, motivated, and even a little busy as they walk to help them keep going. Enjoy these great hiking snacks for kids and adults alike for your next adventure outdoors.