North Table Mountain Ecological Reserve

Table Moun­tain, offi­cial­ly known as the North Table Moun­tain Eco­log­i­cal Reserve, is a beau­ti­ful mesa above the city of Oroville that serves up a jaw-drop­ping spring wild­flower bloom, breath­tak­ing North­ern Cal­i­for­nia water­falls, and a chance to hike through a tru­ly unique nat­ur­al area. Formed by ancient lava flows, the under­ly­ing basalt rock holds water, result­ing in stun­ning ver­nal pools and dra­mat­ic water­falls like ephemer­al, but spec­tac­u­lar, Phan­tom Falls. Grab a kite, a pic­nic bas­ket (to enjoy on near, not on, wild­flow­ers), or a water bot­tle and some hik­ing shoes and plan to spend a day at Table Mountain.

Open dai­ly dawn to dusk.

Recre­ation & Amenities

Table Moun­tain is open year-round for wildlife and wild­flower view­ing as well as hik­ing. The trails are rocky and uneven and large­ly exposed, so stur­dy closed-toe shoes, water bot­tles, and sun pro­tec­tion are high­ly rec­om­mend­ed when vis­it­ing. Stay safe by being vig­i­lant on the rocky ter­rain and not get­ting too close to any cliff edge.

Land Pass­es

A CDFW Lands Pass must be car­ried by each vis­i­tor who is 16 years of age or old­er, how­ev­er, vis­i­tors who are car­ry­ing a valid Cal­i­for­nia hunt­ing or fish­ing license in their name are exempt from this require­ment. Lands pass­es may be pur­chased on-line, by phone at (800) 565‑1458, or in-per­son at loca­tions wher­ev­er hunt­ing and fish­ing licenses are sold. Lands pass­es can­not be sub­sti­tut­ed for Wildlife Area Hunt­ing Pass­es, which are required for adult hunters on Type‑A and Type‑B wildlife areas.

Park­ing

Park­ing is avail­able in a grav­el lot on the west side of Chero­kee Road. The lot has a lim­it­ed num­ber of spaces, so please plan to arrive ear­ly for the best oppor­tu­ni­ties to park.

No park­ing on the pave­ment is allowed along the paved por­tion of Chero­kee Road, begin­ning approx­i­mate­ly 3.0 miles north of the inter­sec­tion of Ore­gon Gulch Road (large park­ing turnout near the crest of Chero­kee Road) to Der­rick Road (map). Vehi­cles park­ing on the shoul­der must be parked com­plete­ly off the pave­ment; vio­la­tors are sub­ject to tow.

The road up to Table Moun­tain is a nar­row coun­try road, so dri­ve slow­ly and be aware of on-com­ing traf­fic, cross­ing ani­mals, and, as you get clos­er to the reserve’s entrance, pedes­tri­an crossing.

Direc­tions

• Exit at Grand Ave (Exit 48)
• Go East (right) on Grand Avenue for 1 mile
• Turn left on Table Moun­tain Blvd for a tenth of a mile
• Turn right on Chero­kee Road — 6.3 miles north to the reserve
• Offi­cial access is through a small park­ing lot on the west side of Chero­kee Road