Terms & Conditions
Last updated June 2026.
These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of hiking.photos (the "Site"), a personal nature hiking photography site operated by Ryan Smith ("I," "me," or "my"). By accessing or using the Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.
1. About this site
hiking.photos shares personal hiking trip reports, nature photographs, videos, maps, trail notes, downloadable trail-map PDFs for some hikes, and occasional gear or travel recommendations for general informational, photography, and entertainment purposes only. The Site does not currently offer public user accounts, comments, forums, uploads, user profiles, paid memberships, subscriptions, direct payment processing, or GPX downloads.
All photos and videos on the Site are my nature photography and are not intended to identify or feature private individuals.
2. No professional advice
Trail descriptions, distances, elevation figures, maps, difficulty impressions, access notes, and gear suggestions reflect my personal experience or available information at a particular time. They are not professional, safety, navigational, medical, legal, or fitness advice, and they may be inaccurate, incomplete, unsuitable for your circumstances, or out of date.
3. Outdoor activity and map risk
Hiking and other outdoor activities involve inherent risks and can result in serious injury or death. Trail conditions, closures, weather, water levels, fire conditions, hunting activity, road access, wildlife, route markings, and other hazards may change without notice.
The Site is not an emergency service and does not provide real-time safety, weather, closure, or trail-condition information. You are responsible for checking official sources, using appropriate equipment, evaluating your own ability, and exercising independent judgment before and during any hike.
Maps, routes, distances, elevations, and related geographic information are provided for convenience and general informational purposes only. Do not rely on the Site or any map shown on the Site as your sole source of navigation or safety information.
4. Affiliate disclosure
Some posts or links on the Site may contain affiliate links. If you buy through those links, I may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Where applicable, affiliate disclosures should appear near the relevant affiliate-linked content. If Amazon affiliate links are used, hiking.photos may earn from qualifying purchases as an Amazon Associate.
5. Intellectual property
Unless otherwise stated, all photographs, videos, text, design elements, hike descriptions, and other original content on the Site are owned by Ryan Smith or hiking.photos and are protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. Copyright © 2020–present Ryan Smith. All rights reserved.
You may view the Site for personal, noncommercial purposes and may share ordinary links to public Site pages. You may also share short excerpts with appropriate attribution, provided you do not suggest endorsement, remove copyright notices, or copy substantial portions of the Site.
Except for that limited personal viewing and ordinary linking or sharing, you may not copy, reproduce, publish, distribute, modify, create derivative works from, sell, license, train models on, scrape for commercial use, or otherwise use Site content owned by me without my prior written permission, except as permitted by law.
Map tiles, geolocation features, embedded services, or related data may be provided by third-party services, including the U.S. Geological Survey’s “The National Map,” and are subject to those providers' own terms, licenses, privacy policies, availability, and technical limitations. I do not claim ownership of third-party map tiles or other third-party map content.
To request permission to use Site content, please use the contact page.
6. Copyright concerns
If you believe material on the Site infringes your copyright, please contact me through the contact page and include: identification of the copyrighted work, identification of the allegedly infringing material, your contact information, a statement that you have a good-faith belief the use is not authorized, and a statement that the information you provide is accurate.
7. Acceptable use
You agree not to:
- Copy, scrape, republish, or commercially exploit Site content without permission
- Use the Site in any way that violates applicable law or infringes another person's rights
- Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Site or its underlying systems
- Interfere with, overload, scan, attack, or disrupt the Site or its infrastructure
- Use automated tools to extract Site content except as allowed by robots.txt, ordinary search-engine indexing, or written permission
- Send unlawful, abusive, deceptive, defamatory, or infringing material through any contact form or other communication channel
8. Accuracy and availability
The Site is provided "as is" and "as available." I make no guarantee that the Site or its content will be accurate, complete, current, uninterrupted, secure, or error-free, and I may change, remove, or stop publishing content at any time without notice.
9. Third-party links and services
The Site may link to third-party websites or services, including affiliate merchants, official trail or park resources, and optional embedded maps or related geographic features provided by the U.S. Geological Survey or other providers. I do not control and am not responsible for the content, products, policies, availability, accuracy, or practices of any third party. Your use of third-party websites and services is governed by their own terms and privacy policies.
10. Disclaimer of warranties
To the fullest extent permitted by law, I disclaim all warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, availability, and non-infringement, with respect to the Site and its content.
11. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, Ryan Smith and hiking.photos will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for any loss, injury, claim, or damage arising from your use of or reliance on the Site or its content, including hike descriptions, maps, route information, distances, elevation data, photographs, videos, affiliate links, third-party services, or other content.
Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations of liability, so some limitations may not apply to you. Nothing in these Terms limits any liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.
12. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Ryan Smith and hiking.photos from and against claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising from your misuse of the Site, your violation of these Terms, your violation of applicable law, your infringement or misappropriation of any third-party rights, or your unlawful conduct.
13. Privacy
Your use of the Site is also governed by the Privacy Policy. Please review it for information about cookies, browser storage, analytics, optional maps, third-party services, and other data practices.
14. Children
The Site is intended for a general audience and is not directed to children under 13.
15. Changes to these Terms
I may update these Terms from time to time. The "Last updated" date above reflects the most recent change. Your continued use of the Site after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
I may also modify, suspend, or discontinue the Site, in whole or in part, at any time, with or without notice.
16. Governing law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Site will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in New York, except where applicable law requires otherwise.
17. Severability
If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that the remaining Terms remain in full force and effect.
18. Entire agreement
These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Ryan Smith regarding your use of the Site, superseding any prior agreements regarding the Site.
19. Contact
Questions about these Terms, Site content, permissions, or copyright concerns? Reach me through the contact page.
Last updated June 2026.