Bike Trails Lubbock: Family Routes in Mackenzie & Clapp Parks

Families in Lubbock now have three clearly marked flat cycling loops inside Mackenzie Park and Clapp Park that avoid busy arterial roads.

The routes matter because Lubbock Parks and Recreation added wayfinding signs and widened shoulders along the Yellow House Draw last spring, giving beginners a place to practice before they try longer rides on 34th Street or University Avenue.

Routes inside Mackenzie Park and Clapp Park

Mackenzie Park on the east side of town features a 2.8-mile loop that starts at the main parking lot near 4th Street and circles the lake on a paved path separate from the driving lanes. Clapp Park near downtown offers a shorter 1.4-mile circuit that stays inside the park boundaries and connects to the sidewalk along 19th Street, letting riders avoid crossing six-lane roads. Both parks sit within the city’s existing trail network that the Lubbock Metropolitan Planning Organization maintains.

City records show the new signs and pavement striping were completed in March 2025 using funds from the 2023 bond package. Parents can park once and stay on the loops without riding on the same pavement as commuter traffic on Slide Road or Quaker Avenue.

Getting started this summer

Beginners should start at the Mackenzie Park lot between 7 and 9 a.m. when temperatures remain below 85 degrees, then ride the inner lake path before adding the outer loop. Helmets are required for riders under 18 under Texas state law, and the parks provide free air pumps near the playgrounds. Riders who finish the Mackenzie loop can continue on the signed connector that runs south along the draw to Clapp Park, creating a 4-mile round trip on entirely separated pavement. Local bike shops on 34th Street rent child trailers and tag-along bikes for families who want to try the routes before buying equipment.