Our 4-Day Dehydrated Camping Menu at Cloudland Canyon State Park

Cloudland Canyon State Park in northwest Georgia is one of our favorite places for camping and hiking. For this four-day trip, we packed a menu of homemade dehydrated meals that were easy to prepare using a backpacking stove, a small pot, and an insulated food jar. 

From oatmeal with baked apples at breakfast to chili on the trail and hearty dinners back at camp, these meals allowed us to spend more time enjoying the canyon and less time cooking. Here's a look at everything we ate during our visit.

Pre-trip Preparations

For this trip, I made and dehydrated a special batch of Cloudland Canyon Chili. I already had most of the other dehydrated ingredients on hand, so assembling the meals was easy.

Explore more: Dehydrating Food from A–Z.

Extra Food Items:

We packed the fresh items in a small cooler.

• Dominique's buttermilk biscuits
• Orange juice, 3 small bottles, frozen
• Cream cheese
• Raspberry jam
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Apples
• Instant coffee and powdered milk
• Trail mix and granola bars

Day 1

In the morning, I made sandwiches at home before we drove up to Cloudland Canyon State Park in northwest Georgia, a two-hour drive.

We stopped at the Cloudland Canyon Overlook to get a glimpse of where we would hike the next day. In the distance, we could see hikers standing atop the sheer canyon cliffs behind wooden fencing anchored to the rock.

Our campsite at the walk-in tenting area was 200 feet (60 m) from the parking lot. It took four trips back and forth to move the gear, but we pitched our new, condo-sized tent first. We had used a backpacking tent on our last camping trip, but decided to upgrade to a tent we could stand up inside.

Dinner: Mashed Potatoes with Beef & Vegetables

2 Servings:

• 1 4-oz package instant potatoes (113 g)
• ¼ cup dried sausage-seasoned ground beef (25 g)
• ¼ cup dried mixed vegetables (20 g)
• 2½ cups water to rehydrate (591 ml)

Meal Prep:

Boil 2½ cups water in backpacking pot.

Add dried ground beef and vegetables to thermos and just cover with boiled water. Wait fifteen minutes to complete rehydration.

Reheat remaining water in pot back to boiling.

Divide rehydrated beef and vegetables in serving bowls and top with instant potato flakes.

Pour boiled water into bowls a little at a time and stir to desired consistency.

Day 2

Breakfast: Oatmeal with Baked Apples

Pre-trip:

Pack oats, pecans, and sugar in one bag, and pack dried apples in a second bag.

2 Servings:

• 1 cup rolled oats (80 g)
• ½ cup dried baked apples (40 g)
• ¼ cup chopped pecans (25 g)
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 2¼ cups water to rehydrate (532 ml)

Meal Prep:

Place dried apples in pot with water and bring to a boil. Add oats and turn off stove. Wait ten minutes before serving.

Tip: If you have insulated cups, boil water for your coffee before making the oatmeal.

Photo: Dominique's buttermilk biscuits with cream cheese and raspberry jam were delicious with the oatmeal and coffee.

Lunch: Cloudland Canyon Chili

This new chili recipe includes more vegetables and seasonings than traditional beef and bean chili. We loved it.

Recipe: Cloudland Canyon Chili

2 Servings: Fills one 24-oz. insulated food jar.

• 2 cups dried chili (180 g)
• 2 cups water to rehydrate (473 ml)

Pre-hike Prep:

After breakfast, add dried chili and boiled water to insulated food jar. We carried a bag of shredded cheddar cheese to add to the chili on the trail.

The 5-mile West Rim Loop Trail followed the sunny western edge of the canyon, with frequent views across the gorge from rocky overlooks.

Lunch Spot: Later in the day, the trail descended to a creek, where we found a perfect place to stop for lunch. Sitting beside the cool, flowing water, we opened our thermos of chili and enjoyed a relaxing break before continuing the hike.

Dinner: Taco Mac & Cheese with Chicken

This dehydrated meal is an old favorite from my first 30-day backpacking trip on the Appalachian Trail. It’s included in Recipes for Adventure: Healthy, Hearty & Homemade Backpacking Recipes and works great for an easy camping meal, too.

Pre-trip:

Pre-cook and dehydrate macaroni from a box of macaroni & cheese. We used a 6-oz. box of Annie’s Classic Cheddar Mac & Cheese. Pre-cooking and dehydrating the macaroni allows you to shorten the cooking time at your campsite.

Pack dried macaroni, chicken, and vegetables in one bag, powdered milk and taco seasoning in another bag, and leave cheese powder in its original packet.

2 Servings:

• 1¼ cups dried macaroni (140 g)
• ¼ cup dried ground chicken (25 g)
• ¼ cup dried mixed vegetables (15 g)
• 1 packet cheese powder (34 g)
• 2 Tbsp. powdered milk (15 g)
• 1½ tsp. taco seasoning mix (5 g)

Meal Prep:

Add dried macaroni, chicken, and vegetables to pot with water.

Bring to a boil for one minute, then turn off stove and wait 15 minutes to complete rehydration.

Divide rehydrated ingredients and remaining water into two bowls. Stir in powdered milk and taco seasoning first, and then the powdered cheese.

Day 3

Breakfast: Cream of Pancakes with Bananas

This recipe comes from Recipes for Adventure II: The Best of Trail Bytes. Baked pancake bites are ground into powder to become an instant breakfast with a creamy texture that tastes just like pancakes.

Pre-trip:

Pack ground pancake bites and chopped pecans in one bag and dried bananas in another bag.

2 Servings:

• 1 cup ground pancake bites (148 g)
• ¼ cup chopped pecans (25 g)
• ½ cup dried bananas (40 g)
• 3 cups water to rehydrate (710 ml)

Meal Prep:

Divide ingredients into two bowls and stir in boiled water to desired consistency. Bananas will soften in a minute.

Lunch: Stuffed Turkey Loaf with Mashed Potatoes

Turkey loaf has the stuffing built right into it. After baking ground turkey infused with seasoned breadcrumbs, the loaf is cut into cubes and dehydrated.

Recipe: Stuffed Turkey Loaf

2 Servings:

• 1 cup dried stuffed turkey loaf (80 g)
• ½ cup dried mixed vegetables (30 g)
• ½ cup instant mashed potatoes (30 g)
• 2½ cups water to rehydrate (591 ml)

Meal Prep:

After breakfast, add dried ingredients and boiled water to insulated food jar. Stir and seal.

On Day 3 we hiked Sitton's Gulch Trail at the bottom of Cloudland Canyon. The 6-mile hike along Daniel Creek took us past waterfalls pouring over boulders into clear pools beneath a canopy of green forest rising on both sides of the canyon.

We ate our lunch on a flat rock by the creek, watching the water slip past, feeling refreshed and grateful to be in that place at that moment.

Dinner: Hoppin’ John with Mixed Vegetables

I had dehydrated Hoppin’ John on hand which is a mixture of rice, black-eyed peas, and ham. Originally paired with dried collard greens, for this trip I combined it with mixed vegetables.

Recipe: Hoppin’ John

2 Servings:

• 1¼ cups dried Hoppin’ John (125 g)
• ½ cup dried mixed vegetables (30 g)
• 1¾ cups water to rehydrate (414 ml)

Meal Prep:

Place dried ingredients in pot with water and bring to a boil for one minute. Turn off stove and wait twenty minutes to complete rehydration.

Divide Hoppin’ John into two bowls and top with shredded cheddar cheese.

Day 4

Breakfast: Grits with Sausage-Seasoned Ground Beef & Tomatoes

This camping meal highlights the rich and complementary flavors of sausage-seasoned ground beef and tomatoes in combination with quick-cooking grits. Delicious with cheddar cheese.

Recipe: Dehydrating Sausage-Seasoned Ground Beef.

Pre-trip:

Pack dried ground beef and tomatoes in one bag and keep instant grits in the original packets.

2 Servings:

• 2 packets instant grits (60g)
• ¼ cup dried sausage-seasoned ground beef (25 g)
• ¼ cup dried cherry tomatoes (15 g)
• 1½ cups water to rehydrate (355 ml)

Meal Prep:

Boil enough water for meal in pot.

Add dried tomatoes and ground beef to insulated food jar with just enough boiled water to cover. Wait 15 minutes to complete rehydration.

When rehydration is complete, reheat remaining water.

Empty grits packets into bowls and add boiled water. Stir to desired consistency.

Top with rehydrated ground beef, tomatoes, and cheddar cheese.

See you next time!

The trip confirmed that homemade dehydrated backpacking meals are also great for camping. They reduce cooler space, minimize cleanup, and keep meal time fun, easy, and relaxed.

Share this page with friends on social media.

Free E-book & Newsletter

Free with Trail Bytes subscription.