Now that our fall semester has officially started, don’t forget to take a break and enjoy our beautiful Southern Utah surroundings. A perfect way to do this is to explore a local hike. You can even celebrate National Trail Mix Day by munching on some homemade trail mix while you trailblaze your way through the desert!
National Trail Mix Day honors the mix that was created as a health snack to be taken along on hikes. Trail mix is an ideal hike snack food because it is nutritious, light weight, easy to store, and it provides a boost of energy from the carbohydrates and healthy fats found in its ingredients.
You can make your own trail mix by mixing together your favorite snacks or follow any of the three DSU-inspired recipes below.
#BLAZEFORWARD PROTEIN TRAIL MIX
Ingredients:
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup golden raisins
½ cup cashews
3 cups plain Cheerios
¼ cup walnuts
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
¼ cup honey
¼ cup peanut butter
¼ cup butter
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix cranberries, raisins, cashews, Cheerios, pumpkin seeds, and walnuts together.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the peanut butter, honey, and butter together.
Pour over the Cheerio mixture and stir to combine.
Store in fridge for 2 hours before taking it on your adventure.
TRAILBLAZER TRADITIONS TRAIL MIX
Ingredients:
8 cups Chex cereal
2 cups Cheerios cereal
2 cups pretzels
1 cup walnuts
1 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
½ stick unsalted butter
2 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp seasoned salt
1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
½ teaspoon pepper
Directions:
In a large bowl, mix the Chex, Cheerios, pretzels, walnuts, and peanuts.
In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and whisk in smoked paprika, garlic powder, seasoned salt, Worcestershire sauce, and pepper.
Pour the spice mix over the dry ingredients and toss to evenly coat.
Transfer the mixture into a slow cooker and turn to low. Cover and cook the for 3 hours, removing the lid every 45 minutes to stir.
Poor the mixture onto a baking sheet and let cool completely before bagging it up for your upcoming hike!
Store in a container or bag of choice and enjoy on the go!
BEST LOCAL HIKES TO TAKE ON NATIONAL TRAIL MIX DAY
AllTrails is a useful app to help you locate any of these hikes and more. I’ve used it many times and have always found it to be handy and very reliable when searching for trailheads.
The Vortex (Gunlock, Utah): The Vortex is a great 2 ½ mile hike with gorgeous views of the southern Utah red rocks. It’s called the Vortex because you come across a huge bowl formed into the sandstone.
Owen’s Loop (St. George, Utah): Owen’s Loop is a great hike to take while the sun is setting. This hike is about 2 ½ miles as well and offers scenic views of the downtown St. George.
Santa Clara Petroglyphs (Ivins, Utah): The Santa Clara Petroglyphs is a unique hike offering views of wildflowers and, of course, petroglyphs. This is about a 3 mile hike best taken in the early in the morning to beat the desert heat!
Whiterocks Amphitheater (St. George, Utah): Whiterocks Amphitheater hike is about a 1 mile hike that offers views of the gorgeous white rocks in Snow Canyon State Park. Grad your camera and head out at sunrise or sunset because this is an awesome spot for photography.
Snow Canyon Overlook (Dammeron Valley, Utah): The Snow Canyon Overlook is about a 5 mile hike that takes you through Snow Canyon State Park. The view is breathtaking and I think everyone should experience it at least once in their lifetime.
As always, tag us or DM us your adventures on social media so we can share. Happy trailblazing!
