Day Hike - Lower Table Rock (Oregon)

8:30am Lower Table Rock trailhead, near Medford, OR

Local directions to trailhead:  Take exit 33 from I-5 just N of Medford.  Drive east on Biddle Road 1 mile.  Turn left (N) on Table Rock Road and continue for 5.1 miles as road swings left (W).  Turn left (W) on Wheeler Road (at MP-10). Follow signs to fenced parking area and trailhead on left (W) side of road.

Optional hikes in Jacksonville in mid-afternoon, following Lower Table Rock:  Jacksonville Woodlands trails and Beekman Native Plant Arboretum for rare endemics and other regional species.  Variations of the Jacksonville hikes are also offered Thursday AM, preceding the scheduled Upper Table Rocks hike.  Info links in leader notes.

See "Islands in the Sky" on Upper & Lower Table Rocks at Grant's Getaways' for a  3-minute preview at:  www.kgw.com/mb/travel/destinations/grants-getaways-island-in-the-sky/114471357.  Spring wildflower bloom prime time here is mid-April - Good chance of seeing wild turkeys at the Table Rocks!    Experience the natural wonders of Table Rocks!

Extend your Siskiyou wildflower explorations - adding 1 or more naturalist trip days:  April 15 Upper Table Rock; April 17 Rough & Ready and Star Flat botanical trails; April 18 Upper Illinois River Valley roadside stops and trails, Eight Dollar Mtn preserve trail, and Limpy Creek or Waters Creek botanical trail;  April 19 AM Limpy Creek or Waters Creek botanical trail. 

Participants are responsible for arranging own accommodations.  Tent/yurt camping (Valley of the Rogue State Park or Josephine County parks) or motel in Grants Pass/Medford/Selma areas.   Leader is camping at Valley of the Rogue State Park.  If you wish to stay at yurt, reserve ASAP.

Before registering, be aware of drive times.  Approx drive time (mod. traffic), add 1+ hr for possible heavy I-5 traffic:  Seattle to Grants Pass/Medford 8-9 hr, Valley of Rogue SP to Table Rocks 30min.  Carpooling encouraged.

Wildflower photos of Lower Table Rock & nearby sites:  www.pnwflowers.com/photos/april

Books recommended (leader will bring):  100 Hikes in Southern Oregon (Sullivan), Oregon's Best Wildflower Hikes: Southwest Region (Horn), Flowers of the Table Rocks (MacKinnon), and Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest (Turner & Gustafson).  

Jacksonville Woodlands trails info:  www.jvwoodlands.org/ .  Beekman Native Plant Arboretum info:  www.jvwoodlands.org/ , select link for "Wildflowers & Wildlife," then select link for "Flora,"and highlighted link to "Arboretum Panel."

If time, consider exploring one or more other special SW Oregon nature destinations for scenic trails, wildflowers, birds & other wildlife, caves & more! - Agate Desert Preserve and Jacksonville Woodlands/Beekman Arboretum trails (both nr Medford), Upper Rogue River valley (nr Grants Pass), Oregon Caves Nat Mon (nr Cave Jct), Crater Lake Nat Park (snow travel in spring), S. Oregon coast.