Checkout this heat map that measures the use of the term hiking in Wikipedia and travel blogs based on their location. One can use it as a very rough gauge on level of interest in an activity. Our move to California a year ago seems to confirm our feeling that hiking is more prevalent here than back in the Lone Star State.

It's not all doom and gloom for hiking in Texas though. Look at Texas and you'll see a hot spot west of Austin. That seems about right.