Terms of Use

Last updated October 22, 2026

These terms apply to the Hike Alberta website (hikealberta.ca) and the Hike Alberta app for Android. "The site" below means both.

Plan carefully, the map is a guide

Hike Alberta brings together trail information from OpenStreetMap, Parks Canada, the Government of Alberta and municipal open data, with elevation from Mapterhorn. That information can be incomplete, out of date or wrong. Difficulty ratings and times are estimates. Official notices (closures, warnings, weather, wildfire and avalanche) are collected from park agencies and government services every few minutes and shown as a convenience, but they can be late or incomplete, and conditions change faster than any notice. Follow the linked agency notice when making safety decisions.

You are responsible for your own safety. Check the park agency before you go, carry what you need, including bear spray, and turn back when conditions call for it. Use of the site is at your own risk.

Hike Alberta is not an emergency service and cannot call for help. In an emergency, call 911. Mobile coverage is limited or absent on many trails and the app needs a data connection for maps and notices, so do not rely on your phone as your only map or way to navigate.

Cell coverage percentages and dead zones are experimental planning estimates from a broad, carrier independent government model and optional anonymous field observations. They are not measurements or guarantees, and they do not show whether an emergency call will work. Avalanche information identifies matched official forecast notices, not whether a route or slope is safe. Download offline information, carry appropriate equipment and make your own conservative decisions.

Your account

• Keep your sign in details private. You are responsible for activity on your account.
• Give accurate information and one account per person.
• You can delete your account at any time from your Profile, in the app or on the website, or by email. See how to delete your account. Uninstalling the app does not delete your account.

The Android app

The app is free and has no ads or in app purchases. It is distributed through Google Play, whose own terms also apply to downloading it. Google is not responsible for the app or its content. The app may ask for permission to use your location for "show my location"; you can refuse or change this at any time in your phone's settings. See the Privacy Policy for how the app handles your information.

Acceptable use

Do not misuse the site: no attempts to break or overload it, no automated scraping of the service, and nothing unlawful. We may suspend accounts that do.

Your content

Your hikes, private notes and wish list are private to your account.

Comments and photos are public. Anyone can see them, shown with your initials only. Before posting, you must accept these Terms. When you post, you confirm the content is yours (you took the photos), that people shown have agreed to be shown, and you give Hike Alberta a free, worldwide, non exclusive licence to display it on the site and in its apps for as long as you leave it up. You keep ownership, and you can delete it at any time.

Keep it about the trail and keep it kind. Do not post harassment, hate, threats, sexual content, graphic violence, personal information about anyone, spam, advertising, impersonation, unlawful material, or instructions that could put people at risk. Do not encourage travel through closed areas or present unsafe advice as official guidance. Links and email addresses are not allowed in public comments or captions.

Every public comment and approved photo has options to report the post and block the person who posted it. Blocking hides that person's past and future comments and photos from you. Reports go to moderators. Comments are also checked by an automatic language filter, and photos appear only after a moderator approves them. We may remove content, reject photos, limit posting, or suspend accounts when needed to enforce these rules and keep people safe.

Map data and credits

Trail and map data remain under their own licences, including the Open Database Licence for OpenStreetMap data and the Open Government Licences of Canada and Alberta. Credits are shown on the map, in About and on the Data Sources, Credits and Independence page.

Independent operation

Hike Alberta is independently owned and operated. It is not a Government of Alberta, Alberta Parks, Parks Canada or municipal government service, and it is not affiliated with or endorsed by a park agency, mapping provider, safety agency or data contributor. Source names and links identify where information came from and do not imply endorsement.

No warranty and limits of liability

The site is provided as is, without warranties of any kind. To the extent the law allows, Hike Alberta is not liable for any loss, injury or damage arising from use of the site or reliance on its information.

Changes and law

We may update these terms; the date above shows the latest version. These terms are governed by the laws of Alberta and the federal laws of Canada that apply there. Contact: [email protected].