Tumwater Falls is a 26-foot segmented plunge on the Deschutes River in Thurston County, Washington, inside Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls.
The falls
The Deschutes River drops 26 feet here in segmented plunges, a figure confirmed by an in-person survey.
Getting there
The falls sit inside Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls, which the nonprofit Olympia Tumwater Foundation owns and manages, not the city or the state. Admission is free. The park is open daily from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m., with gates closing at 8:30 p.m., and has ample parking, restrooms and picnic facilities. A half-mile walking trail crosses the river twice.
When to go
Best flow is year-round. Restroom hours shift with the season, from a 4:30 p.m. closure in winter to 8:00 p.m. in summer.
On site
The loop crosses several bridges with views along the gorge. Dogs must be leashed and supervised. Bicycles may use the parking areas and the paved Deschutes Valley Trail but not the gravel walking paths. Fishing is prohibited in the park and this stretch of the river because of gorge hazards and staging Chinook salmon.
History and name
The falls were formerly called Chutes River Falls; the current name comes from an early-1900s Chinook term for rushing or throbbing water. The site is also linked to the historic Olympia Brewery, once located here.
Nearby
Middle Tumwater Falls is about 0.1 mile away, Upper Tumwater Falls about 0.2 mile, and Perry Creek Falls about 5.9 miles.
Distances are straight-line.