Medium Large Transport; Low Wing; 2 Turbojet Eng
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Distraction; Human-Machine Interface; Workload; Situational Awareness
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy; Inflight Event / Encounter CFTT / CFIT
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Human Factors; Environment - Non Weather Related; Airport; Procedure
During the approach into MFR; in VMC conditions; we called the airport in sight; and were cleared for a visual approach to runway 32.  We began visual descent to the airport over the mountainous terrain. The terrain was in sight.  Passing over the last line of mountain ridges; about 15-20 miles south of the runway; we got a GPWS Terrain warring.  The Pilot Flying (PF) arrested the descent; until we were further clear of the mountains and then resumed the descent.  The lowest altitude I saw on the Radar altimeter was 2;200 feet as we passed over the ridge line.  We had visual contact with the terrain; descent rates were normal; and there was no critical threat.  The PF simply 'shaved it a little too close.'The airport is surrounded by high mountains to the south.  The PF may have gotten just slightly low over the last ridge line; trying to get positioned for the approach to RW 32; with normal descent rates.We should have maintained a slightly higher altitude over the ridge line; and then a faster rate of descent; between the mountains and the airport; in order to get on glide path.
An air carrier descending into MFR activated the EGPWS while descending over the mountains on a visual for Runway 32 but arrested the rate of descent to stop the alert.