diff --git a/CMake/FindBacktrace.cmake b/CMake/FindBacktrace.cmake
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0b19a8538c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CMake/FindBacktrace.cmake
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+# This is cloned from
+# https://github.com/Kitware/CMake/blob/master/Modules/
+# The module is already included in CMake since 3.0. Until we
+# require CMake 3.0 this module works as a backport.
+
+# Find provider for backtrace(3).
+#
+# Checks if OS supports backtrace(3) via either libc or custom library.
+# This module defines the following variables:
+#
+# ``Backtrace_HEADER``
+#   The header file needed for backtrace(3). Cached.
+#   Could be forcibly set by user.
+# ``Backtrace_INCLUDE_DIRS``
+#   The include directories needed to use backtrace(3) header.
+# ``Backtrace_LIBRARIES``
+#   The libraries (linker flags) needed to use backtrace(3), if any.
+# ``Backtrace_FOUND``
+#   Is set if and only if backtrace(3) support detected.
+#
+# The following cache variables are also available to set or use:
+#
+# ``Backtrace_LIBRARY``
+#   The external library providing backtrace, if any.
+# ``Backtrace_INCLUDE_DIR``
+#   The directory holding the backtrace(3) header.
+#
+# Typical usage is to generate of header file using configure_file() with the
+# contents like the following::
+#
+#  #cmakedefine01 Backtrace_FOUND
+#  #if Backtrace_FOUND
+#  # include <${Backtrace_HEADER}>
+#  #endif
+#
+# And then reference that generated header file in actual source.
+
+#=============================================================================
+# Copyright 2013 Vadim Zhukov
+#
+# Distributed under the OSI-approved BSD License (the "License");
+# see accompanying file Copyright.txt for details.
+#
+# This software is distributed WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the
+# implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
+# See the License for more information.
+#=============================================================================
+# (To distribute this file outside of CMake, substitute the full
+#  License text for the above reference.)
+
+
+include(CMakePushCheckState)
+include(CheckSymbolExists)
+include(FindPackageHandleStandardArgs)
+
+# List of variables to be provided to find_package_handle_standard_args()
+set(_Backtrace_STD_ARGS Backtrace_INCLUDE_DIR)
+
+if(Backtrace_HEADER)
+  set(_Backtrace_HEADER_TRY "${Backtrace_HEADER}")
+else(Backtrace_HEADER)
+  set(_Backtrace_HEADER_TRY "execinfo.h")
+endif(Backtrace_HEADER)
+
+find_path(Backtrace_INCLUDE_DIR "${_Backtrace_HEADER_TRY}")
+set(Backtrace_INCLUDE_DIRS ${Backtrace_INCLUDE_DIR})
+
+if (NOT DEFINED Backtrace_LIBRARY)
+  # First, check if we already have backtrace(), e.g., in libc
+  cmake_push_check_state(RESET)
+  set(CMAKE_REQUIRED_INCLUDES ${Backtrace_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+  set(CMAKE_REQUIRED_QUIET ${Backtrace_FIND_QUIETLY})
+  check_symbol_exists("backtrace" "${_Backtrace_HEADER_TRY}"
+      _Backtrace_SYM_FOUND)
+  cmake_pop_check_state()
+endif()
+
+if(_Backtrace_SYM_FOUND)
+  # Avoid repeating the message() call below each time CMake is run.
+  if(NOT Backtrace_FIND_QUIETLY AND NOT DEFINED Backtrace_LIBRARY)
+    message(STATUS "backtrace facility detected in default set of libraries")
+  endif()
+  set(Backtrace_LIBRARY "" CACHE FILEPATH "Library providing backtrace(3),
+      empty for default set of libraries")
+else()
+  # Check for external library, for non-glibc systems
+  if(Backtrace_INCLUDE_DIR)
+    # OpenBSD has libbacktrace renamed to libexecinfo
+    find_library(Backtrace_LIBRARY "execinfo")
+  elseif()     # respect user wishes
+    set(_Backtrace_HEADER_TRY "backtrace.h")
+    find_path(Backtrace_INCLUDE_DIR ${_Backtrace_HEADER_TRY})
+    find_library(Backtrace_LIBRARY "backtrace")
+  endif()
+
+  # Prepend list with library path as it's more common practice
+  set(_Backtrace_STD_ARGS Backtrace_LIBRARY ${_Backtrace_STD_ARGS})
+endif()
+
+set(Backtrace_LIBRARIES ${Backtrace_LIBRARY})
+set(Backtrace_HEADER "${_Backtrace_HEADER_TRY}" CACHE STRING "Header
+    providing backtrace(3) facility")
+
+find_package_handle_standard_args(Backtrace FOUND_VAR Backtrace_FOUND
+    REQUIRED_VARS ${_Backtrace_STD_ARGS})
+mark_as_advanced(Backtrace_HEADER Backtrace_INCLUDE_DIR Backtrace_LIBRARY)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/CMake/backtrace.h.in b/CMake/backtrace.h.in
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..c26f0c68ee
--- /dev/null
+++ b/CMake/backtrace.h.in
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+#ifndef __MLPACK_CORE_UTIL_BACKTRACE_HPP
+#define __MLPACK_CORE_UTIL_BACKTRACE_HPP
+
+namespace mlpack {
+
+#cmakedefine01 Backtrace_FOUND
+#if Backtrace_FOUND
+  #include <@Backtrace_HEADER@>
+#endif
+
+}; //namespace mlpack
+
+#endif
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index b9d2816f36..ae5d17893a 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ option(ARMA_EXTRA_DEBUG "Compile with extra Armadillo debugging symbols." OFF)
 option(MATLAB_BINDINGS "Compile MATLAB bindings if MATLAB is found." OFF)
 option(TEST_VERBOSE "Run test cases with verbose output." OFF)
 
+# Include modules in the CMake directory.
+set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH} "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/CMake")
+
 # This is as of yet unused.
 #option(PGO "Use profile-guided optimization if not a debug build" ON)
 
@@ -56,6 +59,20 @@ if(CMAKE_COMPILER_IS_GNUCC AND PROFILE)
   set(CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS "${CMAKE_EXE_LINKER_FLAGS} -pg")
 endif(CMAKE_COMPILER_IS_GNUCC AND PROFILE)
 
+# mlpack uses backtrace() facilities. On some systems (e.g., GNU/Linux), it
+# resides in libc itself and requires <execinfo.h>; on other (e.g., OpenBSD)
+# it's provided by a separate library.
+find_package(Backtrace)
+if(Backtrace_FOUND)
+  include_directories(${Backtrace_INCLUDE_DIRS})
+  set(CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS "${CMAKE_CXX_FLAGS} ${Backtrace_LIBRARIES}")
+  set(CMAKE_C_FLAGS "${CMAKE_C_FLAGS} ${Backtrace_LIBRARIES}")
+endif(Backtrace_FOUND)
+
+# Generate the backtrace header file.
+configure_file(${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH}/backtrace.h.in
+    ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/src/mlpack/core/util/backtrace.hpp)
+
 # If the user asked for running test cases with verbose output, turn that on.
 if(TEST_VERBOSE)
   add_definitions(-DTEST_VERBOSE)
@@ -78,9 +95,6 @@ endif(ARMA_EXTRA_DEBUG)
 #   BOOST_INCLUDEDIR - include directory for Boost
 #   BOOST_LIBRARYDIR - library directory for Boost
 
-# Include modules in the CMake directory.
-set(CMAKE_MODULE_PATH ${CMAKE_MODULE_PATH} "${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/CMake")
-
 find_package(Armadillo 3.6.0 REQUIRED)
 
 # If Armadillo was compiled without ARMA_64BIT_WORD and we are on a 64-bit
diff --git a/src/mlpack/core/util/log.cpp b/src/mlpack/core/util/log.cpp
index 8b566c0636..6d95d3a72b 100644
--- a/src/mlpack/core/util/log.cpp
+++ b/src/mlpack/core/util/log.cpp
@@ -7,10 +7,10 @@
 #ifndef _WIN32
   #include <cstddef>
   #include <cxxabi.h>
-  #include <execinfo.h>
 #endif
 
 #include "log.hpp"
+#include "backtrace.hpp"
 
 // Color code escape sequences -- but not on Windows.
 #ifndef _WIN32
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@ void Log::Assert(bool condition, const std::string& message)
 {
   if (!condition)
   {
-#ifndef _WIN32
+#if Backtrace_FOUND
     void* array[25];
     size_t size = backtrace(array, sizeof(array) / sizeof(void*));
     char** messages = backtrace_symbols(array, size);
@@ -118,7 +118,7 @@ void Log::Assert(bool condition, const std::string& message)
 #endif
     Log::Debug << message << std::endl;
 
-#ifndef _WIN32
+#if Backtrace_FOUND
     free(messages);
 #endif