Table Rocks

BLM

Management Area

Medford District
Welcome

to the Table Rocks Management 

Area and Area of Critical 

Environmental Concern where 

scenic panoramas of the Rogue River 

Valley, the volcanic Cascades, and 

the geologically complex Siskiyou 

Mountain ranges await you. 

This 4,864-acre area is 

cooperatively managed by the 

Bureau of Land Management 

and The Nature Conservancy to 

provide education opportunities 

and protect special biologic, 

geologic, and scenic values. You are 

invited to walk the trails, taking 

care to respect the land and its 

unique creatures.

Table Rocks

Management Area
Hiking the Table Rocks

Both Table Rocks provide 

outstanding opportunities 

for hiking to the tops of 

these flat-topped mesas. 

Lower Table Rock trail is 

1.4 miles one-way and gains 

780 feet in elevation. Upper 

Table Rock trail is 1.25 miles 

one-way and gains 720 feet in elevation. Allow 1 to 

3 hours round-trip for each hike. The 0.5-mile Oak 

Savannah loop trail on Lower Table Rock provides a 

flatter hiking experience for those seeking an easier 

hike. All trails are open year-round. 

Special Features

Experience the incredible biological 

diversity found on the Table Rocks. 

Four plant communities contain 

up to 

includ

75 species of wildflowers, 

ing Southern Oregon 

buttercup, red bell, shooting star, 

and camas. Wildlife viewing 

opportunities include blue-gray 

gnatcatchers, acorn woodpeckers, 

turkey vultures, violet-green 

swallows, wild turkeys, dusky-footed woodrats, 

western fence lizards, and gopher snakes.

The tops of the Table Rocks are home to unique 

mounded prairie vernal pool habitat. Vernal pools 

are formed when rainwater 

collects in depressions on top 

of the impermeable volcanic 

rock. The Table Rocks’ vernal 

pools support vernal pool 

fairy shrimp, federally listed 

as threatened, and dwarf 

woolly meadowfoam, State of 

Oregon listed as threatened. 

This plant is found nowhere else 

in the world!

Shooting star

Dwarf woolly 

meadowfoam

Guided hike on 

Upper Table Rock.
Know Before You Go

Do your part to help protect the Table Rocks!

•	Dogs are not allowed at the Table Rocks. To 

prevent disturbance to ground-nesting birds and 

other animals, please leave Fido at home. 

•	The Table Rocks are for hiking only—no horses, 

bikes, or off-highway vehicles are allowed.

•	Portions of the Table Rocks are privately owned 

and are not open to the public; please respect 

private property.

•	Avoid walking or wading in the vernal pools. The 

soft soil near the pools is home to many fragile 

and endangered species and is especially sensitive 

to trampling.

•	Please, do not cut switchbacks or use shortcuts! 

Stay on the existing trails, even it they’re muddy. 

This prevents excess erosion, damage to rare 

plants, and the spread of noxious weeds.

•	Leave flowers for others to enjoy! A picked flower 

cannot reproduce.

•	Drinking water is not available, so bring plenty 

with you. 

•	Restrooms are available only at the trailheads.

•	Poison oak is abundant along the trail. Ticks and 

rattlesnakes may also be encountered. 

•	High cliffs with unstable footing make it 

dangerous to climb or venture close to the edges.
Geology

Upper and Lower Table Rocks are two prominent, 

flat-topped geographic features unlike any other in the 

Rogue River valley. They rise 800 feet above the valley 

floor and are named 

for their relationship 

along the Rogue 

River; Upper Table 

Rock is located 

upstream of Lower 

Table Rock. 

The Table Rocks 

have volcanic origins. Around 7 million years ago, a 

volcanic eruption near present-day Lost Creek Lake 

spread lava across the entire valley. This mass of lava 

raised the valley floor to the current height of the 

Table Rocks. Over millions of years, the ancient 

Rogue River meandered through the valley, eroding 

and carving away nearly 90 percent of the lava rock. 

Today, all that remains are a few solitary large rock 

masses, or monoliths, and two horseshoe-shaped 

mesas known as the Table Rocks.

History

The Table Rocks played an important role in 

southwest Oregon’s past. The Native Americans placed 

a significant spiritual value on these landmarks that 

continues today. 

The Table Rocks also 

served as landmarks 

for emigrants 

traveling through the 

Rogue River Valley 

along the Applegate 

Trail. Settlers cleared 

land surrounding 

the Table Rocks for 

farms and ranches. During World War II, the north 

and east slopes of Upper Table Rock served as a military 

training ground for Camp White soldiers. 

Lower Table Rock

The Nature Conservancy© E. Gowan

Fruit orchard at the base of 

Upper Table Rock.
To 

Medford To Medford
Directions

Drive north from 

Medford on Table 

Rock Road to Wheeler 

Road. Turn left on 

Wheeler Road. The 

trailhead is 0.5 mile 

ahead on the left.

Lower Table Rock Trailhead: 

Upper Table Rock Trailhead: 

Drive north from 

Medford on Table 

Rock Road to Modoc 

Road. Turn right on 

Modoc Road. The 

trailhead is 1 mile 

ahead on the left.

For More Information

Bureau of Land Management 

Medford Interagency Office 

3040 Biddle Road

Medford, OR 97504

541-618-2200

email: BLM_OR_MD_Mail@blm.gov

Web site: http://www.blm.gov/or/resources/

recreation/tablerock/index.php

The Nature Conservancy

Southwest Oregon Field Office 

33 N. Central Avenue, Suite 405

Medford, OR 97501

541-770-7933

email: oregon@tnc.org

Web site: http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/

regions/northamerica/unitedstates/oregon/

placesweprotect/the-table-rocks.xml

BLM/OR/WA/GI-13/033+8360

Upper Table Rock

Lower Table Rock