Trail Chef: Three Gotta-Try-'Em Gorp Recipes

Trail mix might just be the greatest hiking snack of all time.

I have a thing about trail mix. It's the first thing I go for when hunger strikes, and no matter how much I pack, I always run out before the end of the trip. It happened last week, only about three days into a weeklong tour de Canada (I knew we were in trouble when I couldn't help myself from sampling the stash in the car, right after crossing the Wyoming state line).

The best solution: Just pack even more. And taste bud inertia isn't even a problem when you mix it up with a few bags of different varieties. Here are three of our favorites (some submitted by you, our dear readers), guaranteed to keep even gorpaholics like me fully satisfied.

Morning Glory
Submitted by Ben Shurman, Shepherdstown, WV

In a gallon-size zip-top, combine equal parts of the following:

M&Ms
Raisins
Dried cranberries
Almonds
Peanuts
Banana chips
Sunflower seeds
Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal
Chocolate & peanut butter chips

Fancy Gorp
Adapted from chow.com

2 cups salted, roasted peanuts
1 cup salted, roasted almonds
1 cup salted, roasted cashews
1 cup milk chocolate chips
1 cup dried blueberries
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1/2 cup unsweetened, flaked coconut

Wafer Gorp
Submitted by Chris Lancaster, Brighton, TN

1.5 ounces raisins
2 tablespoons M&Ms
2 tablespoons salted, dry-roasted peanuts
2 teaspoons sunflower seeds
4 tablespoons Cheerios cereal
2 to 4 dried apples (chopped)
1 tablespoon dried sweet cherries
1 tablespoon dried carrots
4 or 5 vanilla wafers

Mmmm. I'm off on a grocery-store run right now. And if that just got your appetite going, check out even more all-star gorp recipes from our talented readers.

What do you think? Do you have a trail mix recipe that beats all others? Share it below!

—Elisabeth Kwak-Hefferan

Image credit: Nickgraywfu

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READERS COMMENTS

About the morning glory I use chex mix rather than cinnamon toast cereal
Posted: Nov 27, 2009 Chicken Feathers

Another favorite: Tropical Trail Mix
dried pineapple
dried banana
dried apricot
coconut
macadamia nuts
cashews
white chocolate chips
wheat chex
1T-2T candied ginger, cut up in small bits

The ginger adds a nice hot "bite" to an otherwise sweet gorp. No raisins for me, either!
Posted: Oct 29, 2009 Teri Harmon

Autumn Harvest Trail Mix is what I developed for an AT section hike in May: equal portions of dried apple pieces, craisins, candied pecans, sunflower seeds, butterscotch chips, Fiber One Carmel Delight squares. I also like to add Millet & Flax Cinnamon Chips from Sami's bakery. I get these at the local health food store. They add a nice cinnamon crunch with fiber.
Posted: Oct 29, 2009 Teri Harmon

Posted: Oct 29, 2009 Teri Harmon

You got to add some penutbutter M&Ms
Posted: Oct 15, 2009 Eagle

And when you share it round, encourage your pals to pour what they want into their palm rather than dipping into the bag, as they may have germs on their fingers which will then breed in the gorp bag.
Posted: Oct 02, 2009 Honora

I have never see this recipe on any of the sites I frequent. I call it Hawaiian Horror Gorp.

1/4 each by weight
Peanuts
Dried Pineapple (the Hawaiian part)
Candy Corn (the Horror part from Halloween)
Raisins (any kind)

Actually, the raisins are optional. Often I don't want to contaminate a perfectly good batch of GORP with raisins.

Try it, you'll like it.

Posted: Sep 10, 2009 John Giesemann

All those are great recipes. My "go-to" formula is mixed nuts, dark chocolate M&M's, and any dried berry medley. 1/3 of each (by weight) and I pack 6 ounce portions (just the right amount for the hip pocket of my backpack) into ziplock bags - one per day for the trip. Pre-weighed portions avoid the "just another handful" gobbling that depletes your gorp stash prematurely.
Posted: Sep 04, 2009 Scott Orlosky (Backpack Gourmet)