Tahoe Trail Bars used to be called King Bars, but they have been rebranded to Tahoe Trail Bar for a few years now. These plant-based energy bars were designed to be taken on the hiking trails in and around Lake Tahoe, the lake that gave them their name. I got sent a variety pack of these bars to review, and here’s my thoughts on them. (Other than a free 12-pack of energy bars, I received no compensation for this review.)
The most obvious comparison for these energy bars is the Clif Bar. They are a similar shape and size (Tahoe Bars are 65g each, while Clif Bars are 68g each), similarly calorie-dense (around 250–260 calories per bar), and both marketed towards active outdoor lifestyles. I think most hikers and outdoor adventurists have tried a Clif Bar at least once, so I’ll be comparing the Tahoe Bars to Clif Bars throughout my review to serve as a reference point.
Flavours
Tahoe Trail Bars come in four different flavours:
My personal favourite is the Peanut Butter Chocolate bar, mostly because I’m a Peanut Butter fanatic. It’s not overly chocolatey and it could use a bit more peanut butter, but overall the flavour combination is great.
Caramel Chocolate Chunk is a close second. That came as a surprise to me, since I don’t like caramel. However, the caramel flavour isn’t very strong, which might be why I like it!
The two fruit flavours were less of a hit.
The Dark Chocolate Cherry bar is heavy on the dark chocolate, which I’m not a fan of, but to be fair to this bar, the flavours actually work pretty well together. It is better than 90% of other cherry-flavoured stuff I’ve tried, most of which have a horrible artificial Maraschino flavour. This one just tastes like dried cherries and dark chocolate. Could be worse.
The Mango Coconut flavour was maybe the biggest disappointment for someone who likes both mango and coconut. I love to mix homemade Coconut Pudding with fresh mango for a quick sweet snack, and I was hoping this would taste like a higher-protein version of that. Unfortunately, the mango bits were overpowering to the point of tasting artificial, like dried mango on steroids. They also buried most of the coconut flavour.
Do you agree with my rankings? Comment below on which flavour is your favourite, or least favourite!
Taste
Is it just me, or have Clif Bars gotten sweeter over the years? If you’re been turned off by the saccharine taste of Clif Bars, you might like Tahoe Trail Bars better. Honestly, Clif Bars are pretty darn delicious in my opinion, but they might be more candy bar than protein bar. These Tahoe Trail Bars definitely don’t taste like candy.
I also appreciate that Tahoe Trail Bars don’t have a strong protein powder taste like Clif Bars do.
Value
The most cost-effective purchase option for Tahoe Trail Bar is a box of 24 bars that costs USD $62.99 on the Tahoe Trail Bar website, which works out to $2.62 per bar. Or you can buy boxes of 12 on Amazon for $31.99, which is similarly priced at $2.67 per bar.
Contrast this with Clif Bars, which sell for $18.43 for 12 bars (or $1.54 per bar) on their website, or $27.65 for 16 ($1.73 per bar) on Amazon. Tahoe Trail Bars are definitely more expensive. But that’s to be expected given it’s a much smaller and younger brand.
The more limiting factor is that these trail bars are currently only sold and shipped within the United States. Unfortunately they aren’t available in Canada yet. At the moment they simply can’t beat the convenience of a Clif Bar which is available at just about any convenience store within North America. That said, if you like these bars you should definitely support them because they can only expand if the demand is there!
Energy & Nutrition
All of the Tahoe Trail Bars are around 250 calories, with 10g of protein and 15g of sugar, which is standard for an energy bar. (For other protein-packed snacks, check out my High-Protein Vegan Recipes.)
Broadly speaking, this is very similar to the nutritional profile of a Clif Bar, although Clif Bars have a bit more sugar at around 17g per bar.
Vegan-Friendly
All four flavours of Tahoe Trail Bars are plant-based and vegan.
Tahoe Bars FAQs
Tahoe Trail Bars are generally a healthier snack option compared to conventional candy bars and snacks. They are made with nutritious non-GMO ingredients like nuts, seeds, and dried fruits, which provide healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. But they’re not exactly low in sugar either, clocking in at around 15g per bar. So while these bars can be a convenient and nutritious snack, it’s still advisable to consume them in moderation. Remember that Tahoe Trail Bars are designed for high-energy hiking days, so they are quite calorie-dense.
Yes, the Tahoe Trail Bar contains between 5 to 10 grams of protein depending on the flavour. Peanut Butter Chocolate has 5g of protein, Mango Coconut has 8g of protein, and Dark Chocolate Cherry and Caramel Chocolate Chunk both have 10g of protein.
Tahoe Trail Bars can be purchased from Northern California Whole Foods Markets, Raley’s, Bel Air & Nob Hill Grocery Stores, and Nugget Markets. They can also be found in co-ops and natural foods stores all along the West Coast. Finally, you can shop the Tahoe Trail Bar Online Store, which ships anywhere within the United States.
why do you have to review my dads company
hahaha 😆