One of Northern California’s Best Wildflower Displays!

“Table Mountain is a 3 mile-long, 65 million-year-old lava flow that actually consists of two portions separated by a large chasm. The smaller section is called South Table Mountain. The southern portion is almost flat, much like a tabletop. The larger portion is North Table Mountain and is a bit more rolling than its southern counterpart. This is the area you will explore.
The shallow soil and abundance of rocks make Table Mountain less desirable to wild grasses but very inviting for wildflowers. The patchwork color designs of the flowers exist because of various microenvironments that suit one flower over another, creating zones of flowers that paint the landscape.”
—Oroville Chamber of Commerce

Start in March, Continue on into April

Indeed. Table Mountain, while seemingly the same place year after year, continues to be just different enough each year with changes in rainfall and early Spring warm or cold temperatures, to be a worthwhile destination time after time.

[click the topo map for a larger view, but click here for a cool aerial view from Google maps..]

The directions to Oroville are straight-forward, then finding Cherokee Road to the top of the mesa is easy too. Once you are at the parking area, you just wander. There is a trail that heads west to Phantom Falls, but there are no trails to take you across the mesa to another falls (Fern Falls, shown on the topo map when enlarged). You can easily visit both since it is only a mile to the farthest. The big oak tree by the parking area is pretty easy to spot from most anywhere, but you just might enjoy both a GPS unit and some inexpensive two-way radios to stay in contact with your friends, The area is loaded with gullies that invite inspection, and you can easily lose sight of somebody in your group who is crouching to take a photo..

The down side of posting this info is that the flowers may not last much into May. Prime time to visit is considered March into April, but at least you know to plan for next year.

The flowers that will overwhelm you are Sky Lupine (Lupinus nanus) and Yellow Carpet (Blennosperum nanum), cut by visual rivers of Table Mountain Meadowfoam (Limnanthes douglasii var. nivea), shown at right. If it's been a good rainy winter, these colors are punctuated with a scattering of vernal pool cast members including Navarretia (Navarettia leucocephala ssp. leucocephala), but this is hit and miss.

Starting straight out of the gate (literally! There is a gate to push through to access the area) you will be picking your steps carefully, partly to avoid the cow flop but more to make sure you're not stepping on flowers. There are virtually everywhere, from tiny to small, and wonderful. I dare you to stop taking pictures of orange poppies mingled with royal blue lupines. Every several steps brings you to a mini-vista that exceeds that last one five steps back.

The landscape is not so much "rolling" as choppy. Take a look at that Google aerial view and see the striated topography. When you are out walking around, it is up and down all the way as you head for one of the two waterfalls. The closer falls is Phantom Falls and there is a distinct path to follow from the parking area. There are many places to poke around to look for wet habitats (as in potentially mucky!) to see limnanthes and such, then drier rocky hillsides with purple owl-clover (Castilleja exerta ssp exerta), clarkia (Clarkia arcuata), and the unusual diverse jewelflower (Streptanthus diversiloba).

The guide book that will serve you well is Wildflowers of Table Mountain, which is available through Cal State Chico and can be ordered online by using that link. This book has a nice bit of background info about that what and why of Table Mountain, then a nice collection of very clear drawings to help you get to know the neighbors.

Here is a small collection of the flowers found on Table Mountain...

See more about Table Mountain wildflowers

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