SELF GUIDED TOUR OF BETTY AND BARNEY HILLS' CLOSE ENCOUNTER ROUTE AND ABDUCTION SITE
1. Begin at the at the Mount Cleveland Scenic Picnic Area on US Hwy. 3, four miles south of Twin Mountain. This was the Hills’ first observational stop. Through binoculars Betty observed an unconventional craft as it traveled across the face of the moon. She said it was odd shaped and flashing multicolored points of light. Barney watched as the craft flew west, and without appearing to turn, rapidly descended toward him.
2. Head south on US 3 for 3.5 miles to Franconia Notch. Take Exit 34B (Cannon Mt. Tramway/Old Man Historic Site) Head toward the Hugh Gallen Bridge area. The Hills crossed the bridge into Franconia Notch on 9/19/1961. Look ahead toward Cannon Mountain. The craft was visible passing over the top of Cannon Mountain.
3. Drive to the Old Man Historic Site and park in the large parking lot. Find the trail that leads to the historic site. (Handicap accessible from lower parking lot.) On 9/19/1961 Betty and Barney stopped at the side of the side of US Hwy. 3 (now Interstate 93), and exited their 1957 Chevy. The craft was hovering next to the Old Man’s 48' profile and was nearly twice as long. The rotating craft appeared to be lighted on only one side. Soon, it began to move in a stairstep pattern. It then bounced back and forth like a yoyo, extending out rapidly and returning to its original position rapidly.
4. Take Interstate 93 south through Franconia Notch. Betty described the craft’s stair-step movement as it paced the Hills’ vehicle only hundreds of feet above. Take Exit 34A toward the Flume Gorge. The Hills stopped at the Flume momentarily, but the tall trees blocked their view of the sky. They took US Hwy. 3 south to the Indian Head Resort. Stop at the Indian Head Resort to view the Hill's Historical marker erected by the State of NH. Be sure to take a picture of yourself by the marker.
5. Drive south on US Hwy. 3 to the Notch Express Irving Gas Station. The anomalous aerial vehicle had been pacing the Hills’ 1957 Chevy for 12.4 miles when, in an uncanny twist of fate, only 1.4 miles south of the resort, the craft shifted ahead and descended rapidly in their direction.
6. Stop at the Notch Express Irving Gas Station on the right. It was not there in 1961, nor were many of the structures along the route. To the left (east), stood a few apple trees and a farm stand. Interstate Helicopter Police officI-93 had not been constructed this far north.
Around midnight, the UFO swooped down to the right of the Hills' vehicle. Barney brought his 1957 Chevy to a rapid halt in the middle of the highway. The large, silent disk-shaped craft now hovered less than 200 feet above the couple. He opened the door and stepped onto the pavement. Holding the binoculars to his eyes, he observed a silent, hovering craft looming overhead. It was no longer spinning. An intense blue-white light shone through the windows.
Within moments, the craft glided to the field across the street and descended lower. Barney followed it into the field where through binoculars he observed figures that were “somehow not human” staring down at him from a double row of windows that lined the aerial vehicle's forward edge.
Suddenly, all but one figure turned and moved to what appeared to be a panel. They raised their arms and something began to drop down from the bottom of the craft. When this occurred, Barney became terrified. He fled to the car screaming to Betty that they had to get out of there or they were going to be captured.
As he entered the car he saw the craft moving in his direction. He shifted the car into gear and sped down the highway. (This was part of Barney's conscious memory and was not brought forth by hypnosis for the first time. See the "Betty and Barney Hill Archive" on the menu above.)
7. Drive south to Clark’s Trading Post. Betty rolled down her window and peered upward but but saw only darkness. Later, she realized that the craft had been directly above them.
Almost immediately, a series of code-like beeping sounds caused their vehicle to vibrate and a tingling sensation numbed the couple. Barney compared the sounds to a dropped tuning fork.
8. As if only a moment had passed, they found themselves 35 miles south of their previous location on US 3, with spotty memories of what had transpired in the interim. They remembered finding themselves on a new, dirt road lined with tall trees, a roadblock, and a fiery orb. They looked for this location for years , but found it only after their hypnosis sessions with Dr. Benjamin Simon.
9. To visit the abduction site, drive south for 10 miles. Turn left onto Cross Road over the Thornton Memorial Bridge. At the stop sign, turn right on NH-175 S. Drive a half mile and turn left onto Mill Brook Road. Round the curve to the spot where late on the night of 9/19/1961, non-human entities blocked the road. (Please remain in your vehicle as not to disturb the residents who now live here.) Today the road is paved and lined with houses and new side roads. In 1961, it was unpaved and desolate. The craft landed in a sandy area to the left of the road.
(The Hills consistently rememberedtheir close encounter, the buzzing sounds on the trunk of their car, a new road, a fiery orb that seemed to be sitting on the ground, and a roadblock. But they did not remember the abduction and what happened to them on the craft.)
10.Make an appointment to visit their archival collection at UNH in Durham. Visit Portsmouth, their home city.
Betty and Barney Hill Official Site