Drury Falls

Drury Falls is most easily visible from the side of US 2 in the heart of Tumwater Canyon, about 3 miles east of the Tumwater Campground or 6 miles west of Leavenworth. Parking is not available where the falls are most easily visible, so one must walk along side the highway from pullouts approximately 500 feet in either direction from the mouth of Fall Creek.Drury Falls is a greatly under appreciated waterfall. Fall Creek is a faily small stream which usually runs dry by late August, but during peak snowmelt it produces a substantial volume of water. This is noteworthy because Drury Falls is located where Fall Creek plunges over the rim of 3,000 foot deep Tumwater Canyon just outside of Leavenworth. Virtually all motorists' wandering eyes - when passing through during the right time of year - will gaze upon the spectacular 600 foot plunging upper tier of Drury Falls. What most don't realize, however, is that the falls keep dropping at least twice as far. Based on elevation profiles and topographic data, we've estimated the falls at just under 1,270 feet tall, but this depends greatly on how far down the side of the canyon the bedrock extends. The creek has carved a narrow canyon near the base of the falls, so the bottom half of the falls is pretty well blocked from view from the highway, but a few locations along the side of the road yield views of a portion of the second tier of the falls. The only way to see the entire waterfall is from the summit of Tumwater Mountain. While this summit is easily attainable, it is a long walk and probably not something the majority of passers by would even consider undertaking.Drury Falls was named for the Drury Station, formerly located along the Great Northern Railway when it followed the Wenatchee River through the canyon, about a mile south of the mouth of Fall Creek.