Willie Bittner – Great Lakes Trail Builders | President of the PTBA | 211

For episode 211, we've got Willie Bittner, founder of Great Lakes Trail Builders, and current President of the Professional Trail Builders Association. Willie has been trail building nearly his entire life, starting out with Boy Scout projects, then working for various Conservation Corps organizations on, and alongside various trail builders before Founding WisCorps, and Great Lakes Trail Builders. Willie brings some insight and stories not commonly found with other guests here on Trail EAffect.

Topics Include:

• How Willie got into Trail Building
• Leaving Wisconsin to work for the California Backcountry Program
• Getting into hand build stonework in the California Wilderness
• Hand built trail vs Machine Built trail
• Heading to the East Coast to work for the Vermont Conservation Corps
• Transitioning from working with Conservation Corps to working with Peter S Jenson & Associates.
• Accessible Trails
• Starting Great Lakes Trail Builders and Co-Founding WisCORPS in La Crosse, WI
• Meeting Willie for the first time
• WisCORPS is and what it was like rebooting a Conservation Corps in WI.
• The transition back to running Great Lakes Trail Builders
• Going to South Argentina / Patagonia Region to build trails
  • The challenges of building in this region
  • Moving his family to Argentina for trail building
  • Being covered by National Geographic for Trail Building
• Trail Building as a legit trade
• Reflecting on the past 50 years of the Professional Trail Builders Association
• The 2026 PTBA Conference in Boise
  • Becoming a PTBA member company
  • Willie becoming president of the PTBA
• Training people in traditional stone work
• Building in Superior National Forest in Northern MN
  • Rebuilding stairs out of stone (from wood)
• The 2027 International Trail Summit in North Carolina
• What Willie looks for in a trail community
• Closing Comments

Trail EAffect Show Links:

Great Lakes Trail Builders: https://www.greatlakestrailbuilders.com

National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/article/trail-builders-perfect-hike

Professional Trail Builders Association: https://www.trailbuilders.org

Show Support By:

KETL Mtn Apparel Affiliate Link: https://ketlmtn.com/josh

Trail One Components: https://trailone.bike/josh

Smith’s Bike Shop – 130 Years of Excellence: www.smithsbikes.com

Trail EAffect Podcast Website: www.traileaffectpodcast.com

Contact Josh at evolutiontrails@gmail.com

This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services