Backcountry Eating

Everything tastes better when you're out in the mountains and have just finished a hard day of hiking. Some meals, however, are better than others, and WTA has accumulated tons of recipes, done many taste test and sampled dozens of after-hike food joints to make your belly feel better on the trail, at camp and on the way back home.

Photo by Dave Schiefelbein.

WTA's Online Resources

Backcountry Food - From gorp to gourmet, WTA dishes up a special issue of recipes from the May 2006 Washington Trails magazine.

Backcountry Kitchen - User-submitted recipes for breakfast, lunch, snacks and dinner. Please note that at this time you cannot submit or rate recipes. We should have this function back by Fall 2008.

Drying Out - Dehydrating your own food can be a cheap and tasty alternative to prepackaged backpacking meals. From Washington Trails Magazine.

Freeze-Dried Taste Test - WTA tests the good, the bad and the ugly in backpacking meals

Grocery Store Grub - Allison Woods's suggestions on filling your pack with off-the-shelf choices at the grocery store.

Coffee in the Backcountry - Coffee in the backcountry involves compromises. From the Feb. 2008 Washington Trails magazine.

Pre & Post Hike Dining - More than three dozen restaurants to stop and eat at on your way to or from the trailhead.

Easy tips from a blog post - Andrew Engelson blogs about food to carry on the trail.

Resources for Alpine Gourmets

For those who want to make your own backcountry food, you may want to invest in one of these excellent books.

The Well-fed Backpacker
by June Fleming
(Vintage Books, 1986)
This classic tome, while a little dated, explains general shopping tactics, dehydrating and meal planning. This book is more about technique, though there are many recipes included.

Lipsmackin’ Backpackin’ and
Lipsmackin’ Vegetarian Backpackin’
by Tim and Christine Connors
(Globe Pequot Press, 2000, 2004)
These two volumes are chock-a-block with great recipes submitted by friends of the authors. If you prefer to cook from a recipe, these books are for you. Understanding of dehydration techniques helpful.

More Backcountry Cooking
by Dorcas S. Miller
(Mountaineers Books, 2002)
More than 150 recipes from the food writers at Backpacker magazine. Lots of tips on everything from cowboy coffee to cakes.

NOLS Cookery
Edited by Claudia Pearson
(Stackpole Books, 2004)
An longtime addition to the backcountry chef’s bookshelf, this guide produced by the National Outdoor Leadership School includes scores of field-tested recipes.

Freezer Bag Cooking
by Sarah Svien
(Lulu Books, 2006)
Recipes and tips for making your own dehydrated meals. Visit Sarah’s website at
www.freezerbagcooking.com.