WHAT WE BELIEVE
Trails provide people with opportunities to recreate, educate, and contemplate.
They are an essential component of our culture. Trails offer a safe and sustainable way to access wild areas. They are also a vital part of building vibrant community; offering a recreational outlet to the public. With thoughtful, informed consideration paid to design and construction, trails enhance the intrinsic value of natural areas to the human community.
WHAT WE DO
Trail Design. Construction. Education.
For over fifteen years, Timber & Stone, LLC has assisted clients—from municipalities to private landowners—in transforming their trail aspirations into reality. Our goal is to build safe, appropriately designed trails and pathways in a sustainable and efficient manner; trails that balance recreational needs while preserving the character and sanctity of the natural landscape.
Simply put, we build trails that stand the test of time.
Founded and based in Central Vermont, Timber & Stone, LLC has completed projects throughout the Northeast. We are available to work as a contracted crew or alongside volunteers, students, and stewards. With a keen eye to safety, we empower groups of volunteers by building skills and camaraderie while effectively managing the worksite to attain a high quality product.
Client List (by state)
Vermont
Burlington Parks and Recreation
Catamount Trail Association
Center for Whole Communities
East Montpelier Trails
Jericho Elementary School
Lake Champlain Land Trust
Mobbs Farm Committee
Mount Mansfield Union High School
South Hero Land Trust
Stowe Land Trust
Stowe Mountain Resort
Sustainability Academy
Town of Essex
Town of Essex Junction
Town of Warren
The Nature Conservancy
VT Department of Forests, Parks, and Recreation
Vermont Zen Center
Winooski Valley Park District
New York
Appalachian Trail Conservancy
New York Power Authority
New Hampshire
Town of Wolfeboro
Massachusetts
Mass Audubon
Town of Barnstable
TransCanada Hydro Northeast
Illinois
Timber Pointe Outdoor Center
Connecticut
Friends of the Norwalk Valley River Trail
Shoreline Greenway Trail
Town Of Wilton
WHO WE ARE
Trail Designers. Builders. Educators.
Josh Ryan Principal
Trail Designer and Builder
Josh has been recreating on and caretaking trails since the day his parents first laced up his hiking boots.
For the past twenty years, Josh has worked on trails with a wide array of students, volunteers, and fellow trailbuilders, both as a Crew Leader and as an independent contractor. Previous to founding Timber & Stone, LLC in 2004, Josh worked for the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, Maine Conservation Corps, Student Conservation Association, US Forest Service, and completed his graduate coursework in Environmental Education at Antioch University in Keene, NH.
In addition to serving as the managing member of Timber & Stone, LLC, Josh has also taught courses in Trail Design and Construction at local Universities and Graduate Schools. Since 2017, Josh has served on the Steering Committee of the Vermont Outdoor Recreation Economic Collaborative (VOREC), an initiative created by Governor Phil Scott. Josh’s work through Timber & Stone, LLC was acknowledged in 2017 when he was a recipient of the Theresa S. Brungardt Award at the 74th Annual Vermont Conference on Recreation. This award is intended to honor individuals who have made “outstanding contributions to the parks and recreation of Vermont.”
Josh makes his home in East Montpelier, Vermont with his wife, two daughters, and one gigantic Newfoundland pup.
Matt Hawes
Partner/Trail Designer and Builder
Matt joined the Timber & Stone, LLC team in the fall of 2017. He brought over a decade of trailbuilding experience to the team of Timber & Stone, LLC. Many of those years were spent based out of upstate New York as a Project Supervisor and Professional Trail Builder at Tahawus Trails LLC. Additionally, Matt gained trailbuilding skills through work as a Crew Leader for the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps and as an intern for the New York New Jersey Trail Conference through the Student Conservation Association.
Matt graduated from the University of Vermont in 2007 with a B.A. in Environmental Studies and Philosophy. Upon graduation, Matt completed a two year assignment as a Agroforestry Extension Agent with the Peace Corps in Senegal, West Africa where he developed and implemented sustainable agroforestry initiatives for local farmers.
When not setting stone or aligning stringers for Timber & Stone, LLC, Matt can be found hiking, backpacking, or backcountry skiing. Matt currently resides in Vergennes (Vermont) with his wife and son.
Ryan Baxter
Trailbuilder
Ryan joined Timber & Stone, LLC in 2022 after nine seasons of trailwork “across the pond” in the Adirondacks; first as a member of the Adirondack Professional Trail Crew during his college years and more recently as a member of Tahawus Trails, LLC. He brings a wealth of experiences trailbuilding and working with small teams in challenging backcountry and front country trail construction settings to the Timber & Stone team.
During his numerous years of trail construction, Ryan has also worked as a farmer at Hudak Farm and Greenhouses in Swanton, VT and as a sugarer for Cabot Maple LLC in Lancaster, NH.
Ryan attended SUNY Plattburgh, where he focused his academic work on Environmental and Expeditionary Studies. When not immersed in trail work, Ryan can be found on his off-grid homestead Stonedale Forest with his dogs, goats, chickens, and the wild creatures of the Northeast Kingdom.
The Trailbuilders
Filmed by Tamarack Media during the summer of 2012, this documentary featuring Timber & Stone, LLC gives a glimpse into the life and work of professional trailbuilders.)