I've recently gotten into hiking/camping and I'm working on getting my wife into it as well. We've done Palo Duro and Caprock Canyons a few times, looking for a few more options. I know both parks offer quite a bit but variety would be nice. Would prefer to be able to drive back the night of if possible as well so that kind of gives you an idea of how far from Lubbock I'm looking to go.

Well, you hit the two high points I would have come up with. Off the top of my head, have you tried:

The rails to trails at Caprock Canyons
Buffalo Lake NWR
Muleshoe NWR - Sandhill cranes are starting to come in, should be spectacular soon
Canadian, Texas - old wagon bridge and Lake Marvin
Clayton NM, dinosaur tracks at Clayton Lake
In Lubbock, aren't there trails at Mae Simmons Park and along Yellowhouse Canyon?
Copper Breaks State Park - I think they have astronomy programs sometime
Ft. Sill area - Lake Altus,

Darn iPad is not letting me edit..Wichita Wildlife Refuge near Ft. Sill, but you have to eat a hamburger at Meers store.

And Alibates Flint Quarry and Lake Meredith also have hiking trails

I knew of the wildlife refuge/management areas around but I didn't know they offered any hiking opportunities. Looks like I need to do some more research.

Thanks for the list. Should keep us busy for the next few months.

The NWRs don't offer really long hikes, but at least it's some different scenery and wildlife. There is primitive camping at Buffalo, don't recall about Muleshoe. You may have to go a little further afield to see some really cool stuff, but at least it's not too far to New Mexico.

My expertise is more interesting this to see in the area, not so much hiking. For instance, the dinosaur tracks at Clayton Lake are neat, but a short hike. However. There are some trails on the upper end of the lake, too, to add some distance.

There are also some Santa Fe Trail swales in NE New Mexico. Lake Mackenzie is pretty, though I think most of the trails are ATV.

Two places I haven't seen close up include the Candian River canyon west of Roy, NM. Pretty drive, I don't know about hiking/camping. I've just learned about Red Rock Canyon state park near Hinton, Oklahoma. It looks interesting.

If you have a three day weekend, take a swing through SW Oklahoma. Lake Altus is pretty, they have some good off-season room rates, and I believe there are trails. As I said before, Wichita NWR is pretty, definitely has trails, small museum, buffalo, camping, fishing. Meers store is rightly famous for their hamburgers. Meers is a small town in the middle of nowhere. Ft. Sill has the old Army Post, museum of the frontier that's very good. Also have the Army Artillery Museum, which is overwhelming.

If you go walking the trails around Mae Simmons park in Lubbock, you best pack your sidearm. You might need it.

Good point. I've only been there during the day