Shelburne Falls is really two villages, Shelburne on one side of the Deerfield River and Buckland on the other, tied together by an iron bridge and a curious flower garden. The garden is on a former trolley bridge, a concrete arch built in 1908 for an electric railway that closed in the 1920s. Local women planted it in 1929, and the Bridge of Flowers now blooms from spring bulbs through the autumn, a long ribbon of colour over the river. It is a true village, with about two thousand people, some pottery and glass studios, a good bakery and a couple of cafes, and the whole thing is small enough to walk in an hour.
The river is the other attraction. Just below the bridge, the Deerfield tumbles over a ledge called Salmon Falls, and in the rock beside it are the glacial potholes, a collection of smooth round cavities ground out by stones swirling in meltwater at the end of the last ice age. Some are several metres across, and they look like the work of giant hands. The falls are best when the river is high in spring, but they are pleasant to sit beside at any time, and a few swallows work the air above the water.
The Mohawk Trail, Route 2, is the road that runs through here. It was opened as an automobile route in 1914 and claims to be the first designated scenic road in New England, following an old Native path through the hills of western Massachusetts. The riding is varied rather than wild: gentle curves along the river, a steady climb to Whitcomb Summit with a view across the valleys, and then the famous hairpin turn above North Adams. Autumn is the star season, when the maples blaze orange and red, and the road is crowded with leaf-peepers. Weekday mornings are calmer, and it is worth being prepared for slow traffic, wet leaves and the odd deer.
Shelburne Falls itself is small and has limited services, though the village has a few places to eat and a general store. For a full range of shops and fuel stations, Greenfield, about twelve kilometres east, is the nearest sizeable town, so fill up there. Fall nights can be cold, so bring a warm layer. Try a maple creemee, a soft-serve with local syrup, if you visit in the warm months.