Find Your Nature on the Rocks!
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Joint News Release
The Nature Conservancy
Bureau of Land Management, Medford District
Get in touch with the natural world and your inner nature on the Table Rocks! Every weekend in April and May, The Nature Conservancy and Medford District Bureau of Land Management are offering free, guided educational hikes on the Table Rocks. There’s no better place to learn about local wildflowers, birds, bugs or rocks or to find your inner nature through poetry, painting, stargazing or story-telling.
Hikes are led by specialists from around the region who will help you find, interpret and enjoy the parts of nature that are special to you. And do you want to share the nature you’ve found? This year there’s a new iNaturalist app hike for that too!
For 40 years The Nature Conservancy and the Bureau of Land Management have protected and managed the Table Rocks to provide a spectacular outdoor classroom showcasing our valley’s natural and cultural history. Join us on these hikes and find your nature on the Rocks!
Hikers will meet at the designated trailhead for a 2.5–4.5 mile round trip hike up 800 feet along a moderate grade trail. Participants should dress for the weather and terrain and bring water and snacks since hikes to the top may last 3 to 4 hours. Restrooms are available only at each trailhead; there is no drinking water. Due to limited parking at the trailheads, carpooling is encouraged. To help protect this special place, dogs and vehicles are not allowed on the trail.
Guided hikes will be offered on weekends in April and May. All hikes are free to the public but reservations are required as space is limited. Information about the hikes and online reservations will be available at https://table-rock-hikes-2019.eventbrite.com. Registration for April hikes begins Friday, March 22 and for May hikes on Friday, April 19. For information, contact the Medford District BLM at 541-618-2200, M-F, 7:45 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.
Complete hike schedule and details
Did you know? A few facts about the Table Rocks:
- The 4,864 acres of the Table Rocks are jointly owned, managed and protected by The Nature Conservancy and Bureau of Land Management.
- The area around the Table Rocks was inhabited by Native Americans at least 15,000 years prior to any European-American settlement.
- The Rocks are named for their location along the Rogue River – Upper Table Rock is upstream and Lower Table Rock is downstream.
- There is an airstrip on Lower Table Rock that was built in 1948.
- More than 50,000 visitors annually hike the Table Rocks making it one of the most popular hiking locations in Southern Oregon.
- The Rocks are home to more than 70 species of animals and 340 species of plants including 200 species of wildflowers.
- The vernal pools at the top of the Rocks are one of the few places that are home to a federally threatened species of fairy shrimp, Branchinecta lynchi.
The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have helped protect 130 million acres worldwide. Visit The Nature Conservancy at www.nature.org.
The BLM manages more than 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.