Frank Butler, son of Donald and Rhea Butler, was an avid Boy Scout. At the age of 18, he became Bennington’s first Eagle Scout. Aside from earning many merit badges, a prospective Eagle Scout must undertake a project. The work is designed to benefit the community and to involve many volunteers in completing the work. This puts the boy in a leadership and management role. Some Scouts build something, others do a community service. Frank built a hiking trail to the top of Crotched Mountain.

Known to the Scouts as Frank’s Trail, it starts on Mountain Road, which turns off from the Greenfield Road. One follows Mountain Road until it turns to a dirt track, a Class 6 road, unmaintained by the Town. Not far after, there is a pull-off on the right for parking under a small wooden sign marking the start of the trail.

This was a pre-existing path that Frank knew, but it had become over-grown, lacking signage and trail blazes to guide the hiker. The trail is now marked and features a spring about a third of the way up, which Frank revitalized and lined — nice place to snatch a handful of spring water on your way up. Bringing your own water is always recommended for a hike — I suggest two bottles.

It is an uphill climb, in some places quite steep, but there are no parts of the trail that require technical skills or equipment rather than sturdy shoes. When our sons were in Scouts, the troop hiked up Frank’s Trail, with parents and family members invited. Since my mother was visiting, she came along. I walked with the boys, my husband walked with my mother. She was 72 years old and she made it to the top [although my husband told me that it took some pulling and pushing sometimes on his part — but she succeeded]. I decided then and there that when I was 72, I too would hike up Frank’s Trail.

In 2021, I made the climb, accompanied by our younger son who had been on that hike in 1991. The path goes through a mix of young and mature forest, over old stone pasture walls, and past rock ledges, scraped by glaciers.

The alltrails.com hiking site describes it this way: “Explore this 2.6-mile out-and-back trail near Bennington, New Hampshire. Generally considered a moderately challenging route, it takes an average of 1 h 51 min to complete. This is a popular trail for birding, hiking, and walking, but you can still enjoy some solitude during quieter times of day. The best times to visit this trail are March through November. Dogs are welcome, but must be on a leash.”

If you climb in August, as we did, you will be rewarded with wild blueberries growing around the outcrops near the top, a pleasant treat at that point. The view from the top is wonderful.

NB: There is another trail up the mountain, this one starts from the grounds of the Crotched Mountain School in Greenfield, NH. Not the same as the Frank Butler trail.

The next installment of the Bennington NH Historical Society Blog will be posted in October, 2026. If you click the Subscribe button, all future posts will be sent straight to your inbox every month – for free.