Terms of Use
These Terms are effective as of January 5, 2026, and may be updated periodically.
1) Acceptance of These Terms
By accessing, browsing, or using HikingGuy.com (the “Website”), you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Use (the “Terms”). If you do not agree, do not use the Website. These Terms apply in addition to any safety notices displayed on the Website.
2) Definitions
- “Content” means all text, trail guides, safety information, GPS workflows, GPX files, maps, images, videos, gear reviews, graphics, logos, and other materials made available on the Website.
- “You” means any person who accesses or uses the Website.
- “We,” “us,” “HikingGuy.com” means the Website owner/operator.
3) Intended Use and Safety Notice
Hiking involves inherent risks, including the risk of serious injury or death. Conditions can change rapidly and information can be incomplete, outdated, or incorrect.
The Website is provided as a public service to assist individuals in enjoying the outdoors. The Website is not a substitute for official sources of information and should not be relied upon as error-free or as the sole basis for decision-making. You are solely responsible for your own decisions, preparation, navigation, situational awareness, and safety.
3a) GPS and GPX Notice
Any GPX tracks, coordinates, route lines, maps, distances, elevation figures, and navigation guidance are provided for reference only and may be inaccurate or incomplete. GPS performance can be affected by terrain, canyon walls, tree cover, weather, device limitations, and satellite geometry, and recorded tracks may include drift or errors. You are responsible for verifying your position and route using official sources and on-the-ground conditions.
4) Assumption of Risk
You understand and agree that outdoor activities and hiking are inherently dangerous. You voluntarily assume all risks associated with your use of the Website and any reliance on Content, including (without limitation) risks related to weather, heat, cold, altitude, dehydration, falls, rockfall, water hazards, trail conditions, wildlife, route-finding errors, equipment failure, human error, and delays in rescue or medical care.
5) Use License and Restrictions
Your right to use the Website and Content is conditioned on your compliance with these Terms.
Personal, non-commercial use
You may access and use the Website and Content for your personal, non-commercial use only.
Prohibited uses
Except as expressly permitted in these Terms, you agree not to:
- copy, reproduce, modify, distribute, display, perform, publish, create derivative works from, or store Content
- scrape, crawl, harvest, index, or otherwise access Content through automated means in a manner that materially burdens the Website or is intended to reuse Content outside the Website
- remove or alter copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices
- use the Website or Content for any commercial purpose without prior written consent
Limited sharing allowed
You may share links to the Website. You may quote short excerpts of Content for commentary or discussion if you provide clear attribution to HikingGuy.com and a link to the original page. Any broader copying, republication, or distribution requires prior written consent.
Commercial use
If you would like to make commercial use of the Website or Content, contact us.
6) AI Use and Licensing
Content is protected by copyright.
Unless you have a commercial license from HikingGuy.com, you may not access, extract, copy, scrape, harvest, index, summarize, transform, embed, or otherwise use any Content for machine learning or automated systems, including (without limitation) training, fine-tuning, dataset creation, embeddings, vector databases, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), grounding, automated summarization, or generating outputs that reproduce or substantially mirror the Content.
For clarity, “outputs that reproduce or substantially mirror the Content” includes outputs that reproduce substantial portions of text, route descriptions, safety guidance, GPS workflows, or GPX data.
This restriction includes use where the Content is presented to end users in a non-source-attributed interface or where the interface does not prominently link to the original HikingGuy.com page as the primary source.
A machine-readable licensing policy is available at: https://hikingguy.com/rsl.txt
In the event of any conflict between the machine-readable licensing policy and these Terms, these Terms control. Licensing inquiries: [email protected]
Unauthorized AI or dataset use is prohibited.
7) Submissions
You may submit inquiries or feedback via email or through social media channels linked on the Website. HikingGuy.com is not obligated to review or respond to any submission.
By submitting ideas, suggestions, feedback, trail condition updates, hazard reports, route notes, GPS corrections, photos, GPX files, or other information (collectively, “Submissions”), you grant HikingGuy.com a perpetual, worldwide, fully paid-up, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, distribute, and otherwise utilize your Submissions for any purpose, without compensation or acknowledgment.
Do not submit confidential or proprietary information. HikingGuy.com assumes no obligation to protect it.
8) Age and Minors
The Website is not directed to children under 13. If you are under 18, you may use the Website only with the involvement and consent of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to these Terms on your behalf.
9) Disclaimer of Warranties
The Website and Content are provided “as is” and “as available.”
To the maximum extent permitted by law, HikingGuy.com disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including (without limitation) implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, accuracy, completeness, reliability, availability, and that the Website will be uninterrupted or error-free.
Some jurisdictions provide consumers with statutory rights that cannot be waived or limited by contract. Nothing in these Terms is intended to affect those non-waivable rights.
10) Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, HikingGuy.com will not be liable for any damages arising from or related to your use of (or inability to use) the Website or Content, including (without limitation) personal injury, property damage, loss of data, loss of profits, business interruption, or any consequential, incidental, indirect, special, or punitive damages, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.
Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations of liability. To the extent those limitations are not permitted, some or all of the above limitations may not apply to you.
11) Indemnification
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless HikingGuy.com and its owner/operator, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from or related to:
- your use of the Website
- your violation of these Terms
- your violation of any law or the rights of any third party
12) Links to Third-Party Websites
The Website may contain links to third-party websites. HikingGuy.com does not control and is not responsible for third-party content, availability, functionality, policies, or practices. A link does not imply endorsement unless explicitly stated. Your use of third-party websites is at your own risk.
13) Website Changes, Suspension, and Termination
HikingGuy.com may add, modify, delete, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Website or Content at any time, with or without notice.
HikingGuy.com may restrict, suspend, or terminate your access to the Website if we believe you have violated these Terms or misused the Website.
14) Governing Law and Venue
These Terms and any claim relating to the Website will be governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict of law principles.
You agree that any legal action or proceeding arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Website will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Orange County, California, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.
If you access the Website from outside the United States, you are responsible for compliance with your local laws.
15) Severability
If any provision of these Terms is held unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that provision will be severed and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.
16) No Waiver
Failure by HikingGuy.com to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.
17) Assignment
You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your rights or obligations under them without prior written consent. HikingGuy.com may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, or by operation of law.
18) Entire Agreement
These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and HikingGuy.com regarding your use of the Website and supersede any prior or contemporaneous understandings on the subject.
19) Updates to These Terms
HikingGuy.com may revise these Terms at any time. Material changes will be announced on the Website. By continuing to use the Website after changes are posted, you agree to the revised Terms. It is your responsibility to review these Terms periodically.
20) Contact
Questions about these Terms: [email protected]
Licensing inquiries: [email protected]
