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Table Rock is a mountain pillar[1] in the western United States, located just south-east of downtown Boise, Idaho, in the foothills of the Boise Range of the Rocky Mountains. Its summit elevation of 3,650 feet (1,115 m) above sea level is 900 feet (275 m) above the city center.
Located between downtown Boise and the foothills, Table Rock has multiple caves and ledges and overlooks the Treasure Valley.[2]
A prominent local landmark, it is a popular spot for day hiking from the Old State Penitentiary which offers access to views of the Treasure Valley, Owyhee Mountains, and the Boise Foothills themselves.[3] Trailhead access and parking is behind the Bishop's House in the Penitentiary Historic District. The Idaho State Historical Society manages Table Rock Mesa. Table Rock is open to foot and bike traffic from sunrise to sunset. A gate is installed on Table Rock Road to prevent vehicle access.[4]
An illuminated sixty-foot (18 m) white cross[5] at its summit has been the subject of a lawsuit involving the separation of church and state (the cross itself stands on four square feet (0.4 m2) of land sold to the Jaycees for $100 in 1972, hence it stands on private property). The legality of the land sale to the Jaycees is disputed, as the land board meeting minutes, which discuss the sale, indicate that the sale was structured specifically to sell the land to the Jaycees for the purpose of insulating the cross from legal attack. The sale included language that allowed the Land Board to reject any offers, with the stated intent of rejecting offers other than from the Jaycees.
The Table Rock Mesa was first quarried in the 1860s with much of the sandstone around Boise coming from Table Rock, including the Old Idaho Penitentiary. It continues to be an active quarry today.
In 2016, illegal fireworks usage on Table Rock shortly after midnight on June 30 initiated a 2,500-acre (10 km2) wildfire.[6][7]
- ^ "Table Rock Cross". MountainZone. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
- ^ "Table Rock". Outdoor Project. Retrieved 2018-05-02.
- ^ "Table Rock : Climbing, Hiking & Mountaineering : SummitPost".
- ^ Table Rock
- ^ Moore, Anita (2009-08-31). "V for Victory!: Idaho's Gems: The Table Rock Cross". V for Victory!. Retrieved 2021-02-05.
- ^ Sewell, Cynthia (2016-06-30). "Illegal fireworks spark 2,500-acre fire in East Boise Foothills". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
- ^ Statesman Staff (2016-06-30). "Boise Foothills wildfire caused by fireworks". Idaho Statesman. Retrieved 2016-06-30.