Table Rocks

The Table Rocks were the heart of the homeland of the Takelma people, who lived in the Rogue Valley for thousands of years. The rocks were a landmark, a gathering place, and a place of deep meaning long before settlers arrived.

That changed fast with the gold rush of the 1850s. In 1851 U.S. Army soldiers under Major Philip Kearny attacked a Takelma group near Lower Table Rock, part of the violence that became known as the Rogue River Wars.

In September 1853, in the shadow of the rocks, Takelma leaders signed the Table Rock Treaty with Joel Palmer and Joseph Lane, ceding some 2,500 square miles of their country. A short-lived reservation was set aside near the rocks, but the peace did not hold. In the winter of 1856 the surviving Native people of the valley were marched more than 250 miles north to the Grand Ronde Reservation. The Table Rocks are, in that sense, a place of both beauty and loss, and worth walking with that history in mind.

The flat tops are the key to the whole story. About seven million years ago, a river of andesite lava flowed down out of the hills, cited as coming from Olson Mountain near present-day Lost Creek Lake, and hardened into a tough, erosion-resistant cap across the valley floor.

Everything around that cap has been wearing away ever since. The soft ground eroded down while the lava-capped areas held firm, until what had once been low ground stood high above the valley. Geologists call it inverted topography: the mesas are essentially the shape of an ancient valley bottom, now standing 800 feet in the air. Their curving, horseshoe outlines trace the old path of that lava flow.

Because the andesite cap does not let water through, shallow vernal pools form on the mesa tops through the wet months and slowly dry as spring warms. Around the edges of those pools grows the dwarf woolly meadowfoam, a low white-flowered plant that is found on these two rocks and nowhere else in the world. It blooms for only about ten days in April, a tiny, fleeting show worth timing a visit around.

The pools hold another rarity: vernal pool fairy shrimp, a threatened creature that hatches, lives, and lays its eggs in these temporary waters before they vanish for the year. All told the Table Rocks support hundreds of plant species and more than two hundred kinds of wildflower, and the spring bloom across the summit grasslands can be spectacular.

Look up as well. The open mesa tops and cliff edges are good country for raptors, with hawks and turkey vultures riding the updrafts along the rim.

Spring is the season the Table Rocks are famous for: the vernal pools brim, the meadowfoam and hundreds of other wildflowers bloom across the tops, and the grasslands are green. Aim for April if you can.

Summer turns the valley hot and the grasses gold. The trails are still fine early in the day, but there is little shade up top, so go in the cool of the morning and carry water.

Fall is quiet and clear, an easy-going hike with long views once the heat breaks.

Winter greens everything up and refills the pools, though the trails can be muddy after rain. On a bright winter day the snow-capped Cascades make a fine backdrop from the summit.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

They are two flat-topped volcanic plateaus, Upper and Lower Table Rock, rising several hundred feet above the Rogue Valley near Medford. Capped with hard lava that resisted erosion, their distinctive mesa shapes have long been landmarks and hold deep significance for the Native peoples of the region. Trails climb each one to broad, open summits with sweeping valley views, making them among the most popular hikes in southern Oregon.

Both are moderate day hikes on well-used trails. Upper Table Rock is the shorter of the two, a few miles round trip, while Lower Table Rock is longer with a bit more climbing. Both wind up through oak and madrone woodland before opening onto the flat summit. Allow a couple of hours or more, wear sturdy shoes, and bring plenty of water, since there is none on the trail and the exposed top gets hot.

Spring, roughly March through May, is the prime season, when dozens of species of wildflowers bloom across the meadows and the summer heat has not yet arrived. The plateaus are known for a spectacular spring flower show, including some found almost nowhere else. Summer hikes are best done early in the morning to beat the heat on the shadeless top, and fall offers cooler, quieter walking.

A few things protect both you and the site. To guard the fragile summit habitat, dogs, bikes, horses, fires, and flower picking are not allowed on either trail, so leave pets at home. There is no water and little shade on top, so carry your own and wear sun protection. Stay on the trails and back from the edges of the plateau, keeping children close near any drop-offs.

Yes, and they are part of what makes the summits special. Shallow seasonal pools form on the flat lava tops in the wet months and support rare plants and tiny creatures adapted to this unusual habitat, including a wildflower found almost nowhere else on earth. They are delicate, so admire them from the trail without stepping in or disturbing them, and they are at their fullest and most colorful in spring.