Canalside Trail (Turner Falls, MA)

Date Visited: May 28, 2016

Location: Eleventh St, the village of Turner Falls in the town of Montague, MA

Parking: There is a small area by the shoulder of the road to park.  There is also off street parking available and most people seem to ride the bicycle or walk or run along the bridge and walkway.

Cost: Free

Highlights: Peaceful area (when it’s not rush hour), scenic, abundant wildlife, views of the Turner Falls Canal

This may not be the bridge of Turner Falls but it is a bridge in Turner Falls.  The more popular bridges in Turner Falls are Gill-Montague and  the Turner Falls Roadway.  But, since I was in Montague visiting the Montague Bookmill, I thought I would make a quick stop here.

This 11th Street Bridge pictured below was built by the Turner Falls Company.  According to the Historic American Engineering Record, the bridge is a double-intersection Warren through truss, with a pair of trusses on either side of the roadway, and lateral bracing between each pair, but none over the roadway.

This 2.5 mile section of the Turner Falls Bikeway.  The bikeway, which people also use for jogging and walking, is wide enough to accommodate heavy traffic.  The walkway and bridge offer pretty views of the river and surrounding community.

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There are additional bridges on the roadway.  Some, like the partially destructed bridge below, is no longer in use.  Out of service since the industrial shops closed some time ago, the foundations of the bridge still remain.  These remains are symbolic of the jobs and economic downturn the other otherwise idyllic neighborhood felt after many of the jobs left.

These steps led off the main trail  but didn’t seem to go anywhere as the street and residences were right next to the trail.  It may give walkers a closer look at some of the wildlife I heard rustling in the trees and underbrush.

There’s no swimming allowed in the canal.  But, a life ring is there, just in case.

Even though the Falls Turner Canal walkway is only a segment of the bikeway path, it is a great place for a peaceful stroll along a beautiful waterway.

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