What to Eat on a Hike

On a hike, it is best to eat small amounts often, choosing foods that are easy to digest and hold up for hours in a backpack. A large meal halfway through usually leaves you feeling heavy and slows your pace in the second half.

A simple plan for a day hike

• Breakfast one or two hours before starting: carbohydrates with some protein, without too much fat.
• Every 60–90 minutes, a small snack: nuts, dates, dried apricots, a snack bar, or half a banana.
• A light main meal during the long break: a sandwich, Spanish omelet, rice, or legumes in a food container.
• An off-limits reserve: an energy bar and a handful of nuts to open only if something unexpected happens.

Foods that work well

• Nuts and seeds: plenty of energy for their weight.
• Dried fruit: quick sugars and easy to eat while hiking.
• Bread with aged cheese, cured meat, or canned fish: these keep without refrigeration.
• Dark chocolate in cool weather; it melts in summer.
• Something salty (olives, salted nuts) to replace sodium if you sweat heavily.

What to avoid

Sauces and fresh dairy products that spoil in the heat, very fatty meals before a climb, and trying a gel or supplement for the first time on the day of a long hike. It is also wise to limit alcohol: it dehydrates you and affects balance and decision-making.

Everything you carry up must come back down, including fruit peels, shells, and wrappers. Organic waste takes a long time to break down at high elevations and disrupts wildlife.