Summer is going to be here before we know it, and I’m sure you’ve already talked about your summer plans! Hopefully you’ve got a few hikes in there ;). If not, I highly recommend you Google some great local hikes (or use the All Trails app which is fabulous) and add them to your summer bucket list!

I used to hike with my family and my husband and I hiked a ton when we were dating, but when we started having kids I kind of forgot about that part of myself. This last year I’ve rediscovered just how much I LOVE to hike. I love the physical challenge, I love being outdoors and getting some Vitamin D, and I love love love the views. We live in an incredibly beautiful world!

Of course, hiking with kids has its challenges, but I’ve found that with the right fuel, my kids can do almost any hike!

Beef jerky- Packed with protein and a nice way to satisfy the salty craving! And it’s generally a little less calorie dense than nut options.

Peanut Butter- for longer hikes, we do peanut butter sandwiches for lunch or dinner, but if you’re looking for snack options as well, peanut butter on crackers or celery is delicious. Peanut butter is calorie-dense, which is actually a good thing when you’re burning tons of calories on a long hike and need to re-fuel! It’s also filling and tasty ;).

Trail Mix- a hiking classic for a reason! Calorie dense, tasty, filling, and a good mixture of protein and carbs to give you long and short term energy! You can buy some at the store (I love the options at Costco!), or make your own to suit your diet and tastes!

Fruit- Nothing tastes better than fresh fruit after a long day of hiking. Bananas are great because they require no prep and they help refuel you with potassium (an electrolyte that you’ll sweat out on hot hikes), but they do tend to get mushy and very odorous if you’re doing a longer hike. For longer hikes, we love apples (I buy small snack ones for my kids) or clementines- the dessert of hiking! Just be sure to bring a few wet wipes as well to wipe all the sticky juice off afterwards!

Dried fruit or fruit leather- If you don’t want to worry about messes, dried fruit or fruit leather is another great option for that sweet carb boost! Fruit options are great to keep on hand for when you’re starting to feel your energy lag!

Salty snacks like pretzels or popcorn- These are particularly good on hot hikes- which seems counterintuitive, but it’s not! Salty snacks actually help you keep hydrated and replenish electrolytes!

Energy/Protein Bars- There are so many options out there, depending on if you want more or less carbs, protein, natural sugars, etc. I personally love Built Bars and Barebells, but my kids really love the Chewy Protein Granola Bars from Costco and the Nature Valley protein bars. My husband prefers Larabars, Barebells, and FitCrunch bars. You might need to try a couple different kinds to see what fits your diet needs/tastes the best!

A small treat- Did you know that “Summit Snicker’s” is a thing? While I may not not love Snickers, it sure is fun to have a tasty treat at the top of a mountain or the end of a long hike! With kids especially, I like to pack something small and non-chocolatey (to avoid the melty mess!) Jelly-Bellys, fruit snacks, or Gummy Nerd Clusters are some of our favorites! And they are a great way to keep the littles motivated! (“Just make it to that large rock over there and I’ll give you a jellybean!”)

One thing to keep in mind- leave no trace!! Unless you’ve packed things in tupperware, you will probably have garbage, whether it’s package wrappers, apple cores or Ziploc bags. We always try to bring a large Ziploc bag and/or a grocery sack that we use as a garbage sack to make sure we don’t leave anything behind on the trail. (This includes bits of food we might have dropped- it’s best not to leave those for the animals’ sake!) Feel free to use the opportunity to pick up other trash as well! Just bring along a small pack of wet wipes and/or hand sanitizer too ;).

What hikes do you have planned this year? Share with us below!

    Camille Hoffmann
    Monthly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
    Email the author! camille@dvo.com