Upper & Lower Table Rocks, Oregon - GPS
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The images above are from Lower Table Rock - one of two table shaped rocks remaining from an ancient basalt lava flow - about 5 to 10 million years ago. The two rocks are Lower Table Rock and Upper Table Rock. The lower rock's top is at 2,049 feet elevation and the upper rock's top is at 2,091 feet elevation. They stand about 800 feet above the valley floor between Medford and Rogue River, Oregon. This is also known as the Payne Cliff Formation - remnants of many years of erosion.
Here are 5 merged images of Table Rocks: Image: 2000 pixels Photo Stitch Panorama.
GPS coordinates are:
42.452049, -122.950324 Lower Table Rock top
42.468806, -122.945648 Lower Table Rock trailhead42.474862, -122.901431 Upper Table Rock top
42.466188, -122.881632 Upper Table Rock trailheadTrails lead to the top of both rocks, and there is an old airplane runway on Lower Table Rock, now used as a walking trail. This is a popular location for people of all ages, including hundreds of school children on field trips.
Click for Lower Table Rock Trail on Google Map or Google Earth.
Upper Table Rock trail is about 1.25 miles long, and Lower Table Rock trail is about 1.75 miles long. Upper Rock is tilted almost 1 degree to the southeast and Lower Rock is tilted almost 1 degree to the southwest. This indicates that a slight geological heave occured between the two rocks in the past.
There are plenty of wildflowers on the rocks in the spring. The table rocks are home to birds, lizards and trees like oak, madrone, pine and douglas fir. Almost 140 different plants are listed for this 1,890 acre preserve, with up to 75 wildflowers. Poison oak is common - shown in photo above with red leaves. Poison oak may be green also, but is easily recognized by the tri-foliate leaf. It's deciduous, so don't grab bare stems if you hike in the winter.
The 5 petal white flower in the photo above is Imnanthes floccosa ssp. pumila or Dwarf Wooly Meadow Foam. This annual blooms for a 10-day period around April. The image above is from April 27, 2006 - that day, most of the Dwarf Wooly Meadow Foam plants in view had not opened buds yet. This plant is on Oregon's list of threatened plants because it has been found on the tops of the Table Rocks only - nowhere else on Earth.
Rattlesnakes are supposed to be inhabitants of the Table Rocks, apparently preferring the base of the cliffs, but not confined to that spot entirely. During one hike at Lower Table Rock, I encountered a large rattlesnake on my way down - about 5 minutes away from the trailhead and parking area. The rattlesnake was about 6 to 8 feet from the trail.
During the 1850s Rogue Indian wars, Table Rocks were the site of a decisive battle led by Major Philip Kearny, who later became the great one-armed Civil War General. He succeeded in routing Native Americans from this rocky stronghold. A peace treaty was signed afterward by the Rogue / Takelma tribe and US government. For a while, this area was part of the Table Rock Indian Reservation.
The views are grand. The birds are relaxing to watch and listen to. The Table Rocks are a good place for a small packed lunch. Several people will hike up during the day, but there are many secluded places to sit privately if you prefer.
The most common potential hazard will be the poison oak. Just stay on the trail on the way up if you don't know how to ID that plant. The link provided above offers tips and photos for identifying poison-oak during several seasons.
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