Off The Beaten Path Maps is a GIS mapping and Outdoor Specialist company. We provide our clients with some real world knowledge and back-country experience. We have set up our member site so that our members will have access to this knowledge and our data that we have collected over the years concerning water sources, canyon access points, and more in southeastern Utah.
In 2004 OTBPMaps was started in Monticello, Utah to help other outdoor enthusiast by providing good information and high quality accurate topographic maps. In 2004 we began digitizing resource data for a couple of outdoor wilderness company that used large areas of land.
In the spring of 2005 it was brought to our attention that there were very few maps of the OHV trails in the area, and the ones that were on the market were hard to read. So we started creating high quality, durable, USGS Topo base maps for the OHV trail in southeastern Utah along with hiking trails, and scenic drives.
We also began to offer custom cartography, and professional Geographical Information System (GIS) services in Geology, Archaeology, Cadastral, illustrations for books and magazines, and more. Our GIS work has led us to become members of UGIC, ASPRS, and the Canyon Country Partnership from AGRC in Utah.
“A geographic information system (GIS) integrates hardware, software, and data for capturing, managing, analyzing, and displaying all forms of geographically referenced information.
GIS allows us to view, understand, question, interpret, and visualize data in many ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends in the form of maps, globes, reports, and charts.
A GIS helps you answer questions and solve problems by looking at your data in a way that is quickly understood and easily shared.
GIS technology can be integrated into any enterprise information system framework.” (ESRI)
In 2006 OTBPMAPS began doing back-country logistic planning for a few special clients. This involved helping plan out their hiking, biking, and travel routes for their trip while in southeastern Utah. Within a short time this part of our business began to grow. So we incorporated back-country logistics, food resupplies, gas resupplies, and itinerary development as one of our services.
In 2007 OTBPMAPS began working with hunters from all over the western United States to create custom USGS quad based hunting maps with landownership, roads, streams, lakes, and the hunting units printed on waterproof paper maps. These were not predeveloped maps, but custom maps created when OTBPMAPS was contacted by the individual hunters. With the help of Eastman’s hunting magazine we were able to offer this product to the hunting public for the 2007 fall hunting season.
Today we are still improving on our services to provide our members good quality information and products that help them have a extraordinary and safe adventure or hunt.
Larry’s Bio
Larry Wells conducted wilderness based substance abuse treatment programs throughout the western states from 1971 to 2005 when he sold his program. Since 1988 the program was conducted exclusively in San Juan County, Utah. As a result he has intimate and extensive knowledge of canyon accesses, springs, ruins, pot holes, roads, and trails. With this experience comes knowledge of the little known overlooks, dramatic canyons, and peaceful places. Larry has published numerous articles in magazines and newspapers pertaining to the outdoors. He has published several books on outdoor subjects such as You Can Stay Alive – wilderness living & emergency survival, and Leather Makin – A Manual of Primitive and Modern Leather Skills.
Monte’s Bio
Monte Wells grew up on several different USFS Ranger Stations in central Idaho during the 1960′s. This is where he learned to love the outdoors. Around the age of nine, he went on his first survival trip and began working with his father Larry Wells, who ran his own wilderness survival program. As early as he can remember, his father taught him how to read a map and to navigate in the back-country. Monte improved these skills through his service in the military as an army medic. After spending a number of years in the Army National Guard, working in private security, and working in local and federal law enforcement, he returned to college. Monte received a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology/Archeology.