A new trail at the base of Lower Table Rock helps people with limited mobility enjoy the wildflowers that thrive on Southern Oregon's oak savannah.

The Bureau of Land Management built the Oak Savannah Loop Trail in 2005 to give seniors and people in wheelchairs an opportunity to visit the Table Rocks without having to climb the steep trails that lead to the summit. The entire 3„4-mile loop trail is covered with crushed gravel, which provides a mud-free, non-slip surface during the rainy season.

Getting there is easy, and it's barely 20 minutes from downtown Medford. Take Table Rock Road across the Rogue River. Continue on Table Rock past Modoc Road, and go about three miles to Wheeler Road. Turn left on Wheeler and pass the Dogs for the Deaf offices. Then look for a sign for the Lower Table Rock Trail and turn left into the parking area.

There are handicapped-accessible restrooms. The area is closed to pets, horses, motor vehicles and bicycles.

Benches have been installed at several points along the loop to provide convenient places to stop and rest or just to enjoy the view.

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The loop trail begins about 500 feet from the parking lot as a spur off the main trail to the top of Lower Table Rock. The sign where the loop separates from the main trail may be confusing. Stay to the right to reach the loop trail. Go to the left to reach the top of Lower Table Rock.

(You'll know you're on the trail to the top if it begins to climb sharply.)

The loop trail passes through a relatively flat area where widely spaced white oaks and islands of buckbrush create a park-like atmosphere. At midweek there were drifts of bright yellow where buttercups bloomed and splashes of blue and white in several wet swales where blue-eyed marys flowered.

Traffic sounds disappeared along the trail and meadowlarks sang despite the cloudy skies and drizzle. A jackrabbit bounded for cover when a hiker disturbed it.

The signs of a long, wet winter were everywhere. Several small seasonal rivulets still burbled through the fresh, spring-green grass, and standing water had collected in low-lying areas. Enough water had accumulated near one of the new benches to make a small pond.

The trail was built for wheelchair access, but as of midweek the gravel was still loose and mostly uncompacted, and the fill beneath it was soft. Someone in a wheelchair would have had a difficult time negotiating the soft gravel.

Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492 or at bkettler@mailtribune.com