Shelburne Falls, formerly known as Salmon Falls, is a geological wonderland made accessible by a flood control dam built on the site. The Deerfield river splits the village of Shelburne and the village of Buckland at this location, with the Bridge of Flowers connecting them, and the many glacial potholes are reachable with a mix of sneaking and scrambling in all but the highest water conditions.
I spent a good bit of time in the area this spring and have managed one or two serviceable photographs over the months I was there ...
You’d never suspect what lies right around the corner as you look out over the millpond smooth impoundment just upstream from Shelburne Falls. The abandoned trolley bridge long ago converted to a walkable garden stands over the place where the already placid Deerfield River slows, expands, and widens.
The water exiting the pond looks innocent enough from above ...
But the view from below is a little different ... I was nervous standing right under those floodgates and did not linger. The output from the spillway alone is pretty impressive if you’re in the vicinity after a rain.
The water and rock came together here to make glacial potholes; harder stone from upstream has been used by the current to bore holes in the softer stone of the falls. These can range from the 39’ monster that is a popular cliff diving location ...
... right down to 2’ jewels with the stones involved in the cutting process still in place. The second image is the bottom of the shaft made via a 2’ pothole that is about to intersect with one roughly 6’ across. This hole is about 6’ deep and roughly half filled with stones of various sizes; shadows and time this day kept me from capturing it fully.
Since man has controlled the flooding passing through this area the plants have begun to take hold, but only just; tiny patches of soil have formed here and there amongst the rocks.
The people of the area treat the space below the dam as a public beach. The citizens ignore the no trespassing signs, seemingly placed to mark the way, and the police ignore the citizens.
The water has been at work here a long time, grinding down the exposed bedrock and rearranging the glacial erratics it slowly pushes towards the sea.
Between the natural wonders and the cute little shops and restaurants Shelburne Falls is a lovely day trip, just a dozen miles west of Greenfield off I-91.