I recently had the privilege of testing a giant pile of delicious trail snacks to write about for your benefit. My tummy is full and my food bag is empty, but now I have a whole list of favorite trail snacks that are all new to GGG in 2024 - all from small independent brands! Let’s dig in!
Amäzi Foods Dried Fruits
Amäzi Foods was founded by Renee Dunn after a study abroad stint in Uganda inspired her to share their rich, vibrant organic produce with the rest of the world. Not only are their products downright delicious and perfect for outdoor adventures, but they're also all certified non-GMO and many are organic. Compared to a lot of dried fruit products out there, Amäzi is actually quite affordable as well. Amäzi Foods recently arrived at GGG with tropical fruit snacks I was able to put to the test on trail and crag:
*Top Pick: Ginger Lime Dried Jackfruit
My favorite among the flavors was the Ginger Lime Dried Jackfruit. Ginger and lime are perfect complements to any fruit if you ask me. It’s delightfully refreshing with a present but not overwhelming spicy kick from the ginger. Best of all, each one of Amäzi’s products contains only 3-4 ingredients. The ingredient list for the Ginger Lime Jackfruit is even completely contained in the name: Jackfruit, Ginger, Lime... that’s it!
Moringa Hibiscus Pineapple: Deliciously sweet pineapple with floral notes.
Salted Olive Oil Plantain Chips: Crunchy, salty, and great for added electrolytes.
Piña Colada Pineapple: A classic combo of flavors, a perfect ratio of coconut and pineapple.
Trail Butter's New Granola & Nut Butter Flavor!
Trail Butter has become a household name in the outdoor industry. They’re taking a staple of all outdoor adventures (nut butter) and putting a high quality version of it in a convenient squeeze pouch, removing all obstacles between the delicious oily goodness and your pie hole. Trail Butter’s products don’t end at expedient delivery apparatuses for nut butters. They've also recently introduced top-notch granola blends packaged in easy portions aptly referred to as "Lil' Crunch" size. Here are the new exciting flavors that I woofed down in no time flat thanks to their ingenious packaging:
Salted Brownie Peanut Butter Blend: The latest nut butter flavor that doesn't disappoint. Tastes more like brownie batter than peanut butter, but I’m not complaining. The saltiness and texture bring this to a whole other level.
*Top Pick of the Trail Butter Granolas: Maple Syrup & Sea Salt
Maple is an easy go-to flavor for breakfast and the sea salt really makes it pop. As someone who has spent a lot of time in the northeast, I’m a sucker for maple syrup and thus a bit biased. The maple syrup has that smokey, amber flavor that takes me back to the Long Trail, and the sea salt makes the flavor nuances pop. As a nutritional bonus, the ingredient list contains only ingredients that I can pronounce!
Northwest Triple Berry Almond Butter Granola: Love the variety of real dried berries!
Ginger Snap Almond Butter Granola: Delicious and classic: it tastes just like the cookies my grandma used to make!
Alpen Fuel
Is your current trail breakfast feeling a little lackluster or not giving you the fuel you need to tackle your miles? You might want to check out Alpen Fuel's creations. They specialize in high calorie, low-bulk, convenient trail breakfasts. Their meals average over 100 calories more than competitors while maintaining a balanced nutrition profile and appeasing gluten-free and vegetarian diets.
In addition to their convenient trail breakfasts, they also have a brand new line of Trail Cookies for your sweet tooth, which I was fortunately tasked with putting to the test.
*Top Pick: Maple Pecan Trail Cookies
Because I admittedly don’t have a big sweet tooth, my favorite of the Trail Cookies line is the Maple Pecan flavor. They are deliciously savory with just the right amount of a sugar kick. The maple pecan blend makes me feel like I’m sitting at a cozy thanksgiving table in the middle of Vermont. It gives the feeling of gazing at fall foliage while sitting next to a crackling fireplace with a belly warmed with spiked cider. Did I mention I’m a sucker for anything maple flavored?
German Chocolate Trail Cookies: Nice and chocolatey, but not too rich.
Monster Trail Cookies: Delicious and fun with the presence of trail favorite M&Ms.
Hiker's Hummus by uBu Foods
If I could buy hummus by the barrel, I absolutely would. It’s the perfect high-in-plant-protein snack that goes with virtually anything that you can dip in it. Thankfully, Wisconsin-based uBu Foods has perfected the art of dehydrated hummus so you can enjoy a lightweight, non-perishable version on your favorite adventures. Just add water straight into the packet! They've created two new flavors this year to complement their previous lineup, all made with minimal and natural ingredients.
Everything Bagel Hiker's Hummus: I love the saltiness and the unexpected combination of two classics: everything bagels and hummus.
Jalapeño & Roasted Corn Hiker’s Hummus: The combination of jalapeños and corn reminds me of my absolute favorite side to a chili dish: jalapeño cornbread. There are even actual bits of chili and corn kernels in the hummus. Carry some extra pepper flakes to amp up the spice!
Taos Bakes
Based in the charming little town of Taos, New Mexico, Taos Bakes focuses on creating snacks with a culinary experience that your taste buds can thoroughly enjoy. Although they claim their main focus is on bringing you the best flavors, they do an excellent job at using only high quality, real ingredients as well. I appreciate Taos Bakes’ dedication to non-GMO and natural ingredients. They've introduced two new bright flavors to their already stellar lineup of bars:
*Top Pick: Dark Chocolate & Tart Cherry Bar: Bold, rich, and delectable: a wonderful mix of cherries and dark chocolate. This flavor also boasts a protein boost of 9g and some extra calories over some of their other bars, which makes it a more efficient trail snack if you ask me.
Blueberry Lemon & Cashew Bar: refreshing, zesty, and just a little fruity. A perfect trail snack!
Kate’s Real Food Protein Bars
Kate’s Real Food is the brainchild of a real farmer with real experience growing, harvesting, and cooking with real ingredients. Really! This seems to be a trend happening with food companies in the outdoor industry, and I don’t hate it. Kate’s Real Food makes a wide range of quality bars to fill up your snack pouch with. I’ve consumed quite a few of their products in the past, and they just launched their organic protein bars this year which use plant-based protein sources (see ingredient list for each for other components).
*Top Pick: Snickerdoodle Protein Bar: I mean…c’mon. Was it ever a contest with a snickerdoodle in the mix? A warm snickerdoodle was a regular after school snack from my childhood, and the taste of cinnamon-y goodness still strikes a strong nostalgic chord with me. These small bars pack an impressive 14 grams of protein for their size which is crucial for long days on the trail. Cinnamony, spicy, and nostalgic.
Peanut Butter Cup Protein Bar: Buttery and an absolute classic. A great mix of textures and flavor, plus it has 15 grams of protein!
Peanut Butter Brownie Protein Bar: An improvement on a timeless classic, which is very hard to do, and once again, clocks in at 15grams of protein.
Seattle Gummy Company
My mouth is watering from writing about delicious snacks all morning, but caloric intake is not the only thing that matters when fueling your outdoor adventures. Seattle Gummy Company was founded by Dr. Connie Wan who developed the gummy formulation originally as a way to effectively administer drugs to picky children. She soon realized her method could be adapted to sports performance as well. They’re now filling the demand with a whole plethora of uses including hydration, energy, recovery, wellness, and so much more. I tried out their new flavors of electrolyte and caffeine gummies.
Hydrafuel Performance Gummies - Sour Patch Margarita
Hydration is one of the toughest and most important elements of sports performance to upkeep. As opposed to drink powders that take time to glug down, the Hydrafuel gummies give you a quick blast of hydration with one bite.
As far as flavor goes, why not have a margarita while you’re at it? The Sour Patch Margarita flavor is quite delightful. The sourness gives the perfect amount of cheek pucker, and the margarita flavor, well...it gives you the feeling of relaxing on a beach without the buzz.
Mocca Shots High Energy Gummies - Dark Chocolate Raspberry
Eating one Mocca Shot is the equivalent to drinking a cup of coffee but without having to miss a single step on the trail. Dark chocolate and raspberry is a match made in heaven and a delicious way to keep your energy up.
Hopefully now you have a new craving for adventure and some new snacks to fuel it with! I’m going to polish off the rest of these snacks now…
Brett is a bluegrass musician, outdoorsman, and writer currently based in Golden, CO. He's backpacked thousands of miles in the U.S. and Europe and is always on the lookout for the next adventure. When not behind the writing desk, you can find him bagging peaks, climbing rocks, shredding powder, or jamming at a bluegrass festival.
