Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts fall foliage

Shelburne Falls is a village on the Deerfield River, where the hills of the Mohawk Trail country close in around the water. The Bridge of Flowers, a former trolley bridge about 400 feet long, was turned into a garden walkway in 1929 and crosses the river beside an iron bridge from 1890. Just below Salmon Falls, the river has worn dozens of glacial potholes into the bedrock, some small and some big enough to hold a person, and they can be seen from a viewing area above the riverbed.

The Mohawk Trail (Route 2) runs west from Shelburne Falls along the Deerfield River to Charlemont, then climbs the Cold River valley through Mohawk Trail State Forest, known for its old-growth trees. The road tops out at Whitcomb Summit, about 2,272 feet, the highest point on the route. On the descent, the Hairpin Turn makes a full switchback with a view over North Adams to Mount Greylock and the Taconic Range, and the road continues to Williamstown. Designated in 1914, it is one of the oldest scenic routes in the country.