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 Table Rock is located
in Sams Valley near Medford & Central Point Oregon. Table Rock
was a sanctuary for Takelma Indians. There are two Table
Rock mesas, an upper Table Rock and a Lower Table Rock.
Upper Table Rock is a bit shorter and slightly easier to
hike. Both are Open all year and No fee to hike them.
The Upper Table Rock provides a wonderful hiking trail to the top
of this enormous flat rock.
Spring time is the best to catch the best flower and
endangered wildflower displays and to avoid the heat. The views are spectacular from the top. Here you can see
the most of Sams Valley and Rogue Valley south to
Ashland and Mt McLaughlin.
Hiking Upper Table Rock is a moderately easy 2.8-mile
trip, with a 720 foot gain. At the 1.1-mile point there
is a final steep pitch on the trail suddenly, then you
reach the table's amazingly flat summit. Although easy
for some to hike, we suggest you be in good health to
hike it, especially in the summer.
The Lower Table Rock trail is longer and rockier,
climbing through shadier woods. The path climbs,
steeply at times, after 1.6 miles the path suddenly
crests at the plateau and becomes an old road. Walk
another 200 yards up the road and fork left on a trail
that ends at a 200-foot cliff & viewpoint. Lower Table
Rock was dedicated as a nature preserve by The Nature
Conservancy in 1979.
The
picture to the left was taken while standing atop Table
Rock overlooking the valley towards Phoenix, Medford and
Ashland direction with Mt McLaughlin in the distance.
To find the Upper Table Rock
trailhead from the Interstate 5, take Central Point Exit
33 (north of Medford), drive east on Biddle Road 1 mile,
turn left on Table Rock Road for 5.2 miles to a curve,
and turn right on Modoc Road for 1.5 miles to the
trailhead parking lot on the left, just opposite of an
electric substation.
To find the Lower Table Rock trailhead from here, return
1.5 miles to Table Rock Road, turn right (away from
Medford) to milepost 10, and then turn left on Wheeler
Road 0.8 mile.
History Info: In 1850 a gold strike at Jacksonville
attracted so many miners and settlers to the Rogue
Valley that the local Takelma Indians launched an attack
in 1853 to reclaim their homeland. When the U.S. Army
retaliated, the Takelmas retreated to Upper Table Rock,
a natural fortress that defied capture. The Army sent a
peace negotiator, Joe Lane. He agreed to grant the
Indians a reservation that included the Table Rocks, and
he also promised that the Army would build a fort nearby
to protect the Indians from armed vigilantes. Because
Joe Lane actually kept his word, he became a hero among
both the whites and the Indians. An Oregon county was
named after him, he was elected senator, and he was
nominated for Vice President on a ticket that lost to
Abraham Lincoln.
Geology Info: The 125-foot-thick andesite rims capping
these U-shaped mesas are remnants of a lava flow that
snaked down the Rogue River Valley 9.6 million years ago
from vents east of Prospect. Since then, erosion has
worn away the softer surrounding rock, leaving the hard
andesite perched 800 feet above the plain. Why are the
mesas U-shaped? Geologists propose that the curves were
originally horseshoe bends in the river channel where
the lava flowed.
Nearby Central Point is a
wonderful recreation area for residents and visitors
alike, offering easy access to skiing, boating, fishing,
rafting, hiking, camping, biking and golfing and of
course,
Table Rock. Central Point is conveniently located within
minutes of many cultural attractions such as the Oregon
Shakespeare Festival, the Britt Music Festival, Rogue
Community College's Outdoor Theater, plus numerous
quality theater and musical events.
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