The Bridge of Flowers is a pedestrian-only former trolley bridge across the Deerfield River, in the Shelburne Falls village that straddles Buckland and Shelburne. The five-arch concrete bridge was built in 1908 for the Shelburne Falls & Colrain Street Railway, which hauled freight and passengers along the Deerfield valley until the trolley line was abandoned in 1928.
A year later, the Shelburne Falls Area Women’s Club proposed turning the disused span into a public garden. The first plantings went in in 1929, and the bridge has been maintained as a flower garden by volunteer members of the club’s Bridge of Flowers Committee every year since.
What to see
- The plantings: roughly 400 feet of mixed beds, with bulbs in early spring, perennials and roses through the summer, and asters and chrysanthemums into the fall. There is something in bloom from early April through late October.
- Historic plaques: markers near the entrances note the trolley origin and the Women’s Club’s restoration work.
- Glacial potholes: immediately downstream of the bridge, the Deerfield has scoured a set of large circular potholes into the bedrock; viewing platforms are a short walk away on the Buckland side.
- Shelburne Falls village: independent shops, galleries, and cafés cluster on both ends of the bridge.
Visiting
The bridge reopened for the 2026 season on April 1, but the Bridge of Flowers Committee temporarily closed the gates again beginning April 27 for soil replacement and replanting after the recent structural work. When open, the bridge is free to walk; donations to support the gardeners are collected at a box on the Buckland end. Peak bloom is generally late May through September, though 2026 plantings are still being re-established.
The Bridge of Flowers sits alongside the Deerfield River at Shelburne Falls, and the village’s two riverside parking lots are within a couple of minutes’ walk of either end.