I'm not lazy enough to do let someone else do most of my own research, here is what I've found so far. I'm looking for those obscure places too, btw. That was one of my favorite things about living in Louisiana... we didn't have much, but when you found an obscure place of beauty in nature, it was wonderful. Keep in mind that I smoke and drink and would definitely like to safely do so in privacy, but realize that is not always possible at all state parks. At the very least I'd like a nice hiking and camping experience where I can grill and possibly, when no burn bans are around, have a campfire, and swim a bit or have some great views.Tell me if I'm missing anything great that might be, say, 4-5 hours away, because if its good enough, I'm willing to drive that far.Hill country state natural areaFrom what I read, a safe place to camp, have a camp fire, possibly even consume alcoholic beverages and light up. Not a high level of enforcement here. Looks wonderfully private.---------------------------------------------------------Enchanted RockMan I would love to camp out on top of that rock, but not allowed. I doubt beer or smoking would even be remotely safe here, busy park it seems. I'd definitely like to visit it though because it looks beautiful, and from what I read, the camping around the rock is very nice. I wonder how possible it is to get a decent, primative, remote camping spot away from others.----------------------------------------------------------Perdernales fallsApparently NOT friendly to alcohol and has rangers that stalk you, and you can't swim in most of the falls... But I would definitely like to visit it as it seems like it's a major state park and looks very pretty. I hear the hike is nice too.-------------------------------------------------------------Pace bendNow THIS is more my thing. Cliff jumping? **** yeah! Swimming? **** yeah! Camping is allowed. Good private areas for smoking, very secluded camping, I can see myself spending a lot of time here.--------------------------------------------------------------Muleshoe BendThough mainly a mountain biking place, this looks awesome. Nice view of the lake, very open so you can see if any rangers are coming up on you, and doesnt seem like it has many rules. I can see this being a nice prime area for some camping.------------------------------------------------------------------Krause SpringsLooks like heaven... privately owned, no park rangers, overnight private camping, beautiful springs, waterfalls, beer allowed... **** yeah.------------------------------------------------------------------Inks lake state parkCliff jumping is a major plus. Constant level lakes. Low privacy, and gustapo police/rangers make me a little warry.-------------------------------------------------------------------Bastrop state parkalthough apparently it got hit pretty hard by wildfires, its 70% reopened. Sad to see such a beautiful place get damaged that bad. However, maybe in a year if I'm still there, it'll be worth visiting. Beer and BBQ was allowed. Seemed perfect.--------------------------------------------------------------------Colorado Bend State Park.Looks ****ing amazing. Incredible swimming, kayaking, camping, no park ranger dick stories.---------------------------------------------------------------------Mckinney falls state parkVERY close to Austin, a little low on the swimming (the water apparently is usually very shallow), but still good for wading and cooling down. Lots of dick ranger stories though and looks like people get shaken down there alot. I'm hearing the water is pretty dirty too.---------------------------------------------------------------------Blanco state parkLooks pretty cool, I'd enjoy the swimming. There's camping and geocaching, but apparently the park is tiny and you can see shell stations and stuff from it, and hear sirens. Not my cup of tea, but definitely might be worth a visit.-----------------------------------------------------------------Canyon lake areaLooks awesome. Too bad you cant swim in the gorge, and you have to take a guided tour. Seems like there are probably SEVERAL spots to camp all over canyon lake, so I'll definitely go there. Dinosaur footprints and fossils too... Although its illegal to take it out. Its federal government property. I think I might camp here sometime.-----------------------------------------------------------Lake georgetownSeems like a good, little known camping area with very little regulation. Its owned by the corps of engineers... probably easy to drink beer and have a good night out there. Swimming and cliff jumping... definitely going to have to check it out.------------------------------------------------------------Lake Somerville... cant find any reviews, but it looks pretty secluded with tons of spots to camp out at, no burn ban, seems like a generally cool unknown place, which is kind of what I'm looking for.-------------------------------------------------------------am I missing anything? haha....Edited from my a friend's list...Barton Creek and the Green Belt Trail look awesome:Lost maples state natural area is being recommended very highly by many:Now, tell me, am I missing anything that's outside of the 3 hour range? You know, the 3-5 hour range, that might be worth the extra drive to go check out?I know about Big Bend. I plan on visiting that at least once since I'll be there for over a year. I will have to do a TON of research to find the best places to discretely camp and hike big bend.