Bridge of Flowers
A 400-foot pedestrian footbridge spanning the Deerfield River in the village of Shelburne Falls, converted from a 1908 trolley bridge into a continuous flower garden open April through November. The bridge holds more than 500 varieties of plants and connects Shelburne Falls to Buckland across the river. The glacial potholes — the world's largest recorded collection, some up to 39 feet in diameter — are visible from a viewing area steps away at the base of Salmon Falls. A short walk from the Route 2 corridor.
The bridge started as a working concrete trolley span, built in 1908 to haul freight across the Deerfield River when the older Iron Bridge nearby couldn't handle the load. The trolley company went bankrupt in 1927, and by 1929 the structure was weedy and the town was weighing demolition. A local woman named Antoinette Burnham — backed by the Shelburne Falls Women's Club and community volunteers — pushed instead to fill it with soil and plant it as a garden. That decision stuck, and the 400-foot, five-arched concrete bridge has been tended by volunteers ever since, holding more than 500 varieties of plants that are managed to keep something in bloom continuously from spring through fall.
The bridge is free to walk — donations are accepted — and open roughly April through October. It connects Shelburne to Buckland across the river, and at the midpoint a granite bench and flagpole mark the town boundary. The glacial potholes at Salmon Falls, a separate but equally unusual geological formation, are only a couple of blocks away on foot, so riders can knock out both stops in under an hour without moving the bike. Cafes and shops line the streets in between.
The must-stop town on the Mohawk Trail west of Greenfield — unique botanical bridge plus glacial geology within a block of each other, surrounded by cafes and shops. Easy parking on side streets.
Shot by the riders who've run it.
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