OBP Trailworks, LLC is a trail design and construction company with a focus on education and training
In 2004, Jed Talbot founded Off the Beaten Path as a more formal extension of the trail based activities that he had already been engaged in for years. In 2016, the name was officially changed to OBP Trailworks, LLC. During the warmer months we specialize in technical stone work, accessible trails, backcountry rigging systems, and technical trail skills training. In the winter, we conduct small sc
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Nice to see this video get finished up. I wish I wasn’t sick as a dog with no voice on filming day though…
02/10/2026
It’s that time of year again! Looking for a few more folks to join the team in 2026.
01/14/2026
Whether local or far flung, micro or macro, here’s to another year of seeking out the wilder side of life!
Photo by .munita
12/16/2025
So happy that Nat Geo decided to go in depth to shed some light on the fringe world of trail design and construction.
I also never thought I’d see my grizzled mug gracing the pages of the magazine that inspired so much awe as a kid.
Trailbuilders Featured in National Geographic (Print Edition!)
We’re excited to share that National Geographic has published a feature on trailbuilders — and not just online, but in the full print edition. That kind of coverage is incredibly rare and a big moment for trails and trail professionals.
Huge thanks to everyone who contributed time, insight, feedback, and photos to help make this story possible — especially Jed Talbot and Willie Bittner for representing trailbuilders so thoughtfully.
Check it out: nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/trail-builders-perfect-hike
Jed Talbot - OBP Trailworks, LLC
Willie Bittner - Great Lakes Trailbuilders
Gloria Liu
National Geographic
Aaryn Kay - PTBA
Scott Gordon - ContourLogic
Erin Amadon - Town 4 Trails Services
Nature Trails, LLC
Timberline TrailCraft
Peter Jensen - Peter Jensen & Associates
Gabe Travis - Interior Trails
Troy Scott Parker - NatureShape
Scott Linnenburger - Kay-Linn Enterprises
12/13/2025
Nice recognition for an amazing collaborative project that kept us busy for most of our 2023 season.
New England Project of the Year: Team Delivers a Remote, Off-Grid Contact Station Perched on a 23-acre site atop Lookout Mountain, the new Tekakapimək Contact Station invites visitors to explore the 87,563-acre Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in north-central Maine, showcasing its peaks and rivers, its night skies and wildlife.
9 months of trail design and construction projects in under a minute.
12/09/2025
Time flies! Although not trail specific, this was a fun project!
The Gills Group
In November 2012, Off the Beaten Path teamed up with Black Dog Timberworks, LLC, on a fun timber frame project. We traveled to the Catskills of New York and dismantled a tall 12' x 16' building, salvaging all that we could. The building was hauled all the way to the tip of Bailey's Island in Harpswell, ME where it was raised again just a stone's throw from the ocean.
12/06/2025
12/05/2025
The temps are in the low single digits today effectively ending our dirt digging endeavors for a few months. It’s time to catch up on design and admin work as well as to look back at another great trail season. We haven’t really posted on social media lately but I’d like to highlight some recent projects, starting with Ben’s Trail.
This project was significant, but not for its length or technical nature. Ben is a wonderful young man with a terminal condition that has rendered him wheelchair bound. We built a trail from his house to the Androscoggin River so that he might spend some quiet time watching the water and wildlife pass by. Big thanks to who dropped everything in the middle of a busy season to handcraft a beautiful live edge cherry sign for Ben.
Jedediah Talbot
05/09/2025
Hey y’all Trail Nonprofits- is giving away $5000 in hand tools to a deserving 501(c)(3)! Warwood Tools have been our first choice in picks, rock bars and the like for decades. Check ‘em out! The grant application is on their website- https://warwoodtool.com/pages/2025-trail-grant
12/11/2025