Terms of Use and Trail Safety Disclaimer

Terms of Use and Trail Safety Disclaimer

Last updated: August 5, 2026

Hike NWA is a volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We publish this site to help people in Northwest Arkansas find their way onto a trail. By using hikenwa.org, you agree to the terms below. If you do not agree with them, please do not use the site.

The most important section on this page is the first one. Please read it before you head out.

Trail safety and assumption of risk

Hiking is an inherently risky activity. Trails involve uneven footing, rocks and roots, bluffs and drop-offs, water crossings, sudden weather, wildlife, insects and ticks, other trail users including mountain bikers moving quickly, and stretches with no cell service.

Everything on this site—routes, distances, elevation figures, difficulty ratings, trailhead and parking descriptions, restroom information, maps, and photos—is general information provided as is, without warranty of any kind. We are a group of volunteer hikers. We are not a land manager, a government agency, or a professional guide service.

• Conditions change. Trails get rerouted, closed, flooded, iced over, or rebuilt. What we published last month may not be true today.
• Difficulty ratings are our judgment, not a standard. What we call moderate may feel easy to one hiker and hard to another. You know your own fitness better than we do.
• Distances and elevation are estimates drawn from GPS data, and GPS data is imperfect.
• Maps and route files are aids, not guarantees. Devices lose signal, batteries die, and map data lags behind reality. Carry a backup plan.
• Parking and access can change without notice. Some trailheads sit on private or property-owners-association land, and access is at the owner’s discretion.

You are responsible for your own safety and for anyone you bring with you, including children and dogs. Check current conditions with the land manager, watch the weather, tell someone where you are going, carry water, know your limits, and turn around when you should.

By using this site, you accept these risks and agree that you use the information here at your own risk.

Not professional advice

Nothing on this site is medical, fitness, legal, or emergency advice. If you have a health condition or you are returning to activity after an injury or illness, talk to your doctor before you start hiking. In an emergency on the trail, call 911.

Our content and map data

The writing, photographs, route descriptions, and guides on this site are copyright Hike NWA unless noted otherwise. You are welcome to link to any page here, and to print pages for your own personal, non-commercial use—take them on the trail, that is what they are for.

Please ask before republishing our content elsewhere, and do not scrape the site, bulk-download our route data, or reuse our material commercially without written permission. If you are a local club, school, library, or land manager and you want to use something, just ask through our contact form. We are usually happy to say yes.

Base map tiles and underlying map data come from third parties under their own licenses, including OpenStreetMap and its contributors. Attribution appears on the maps themselves.

Trail system names, park names, and organization names belong to their owners. Hike NWA is an independent nonprofit. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or speaking on behalf of the cities, property owners, or trail organizations that build and maintain these trails, and any information we publish about their land is our own summary, not their official word.

Using this site

We ask that you not:

• Use the site for anything unlawful, or in a way that harms other hikers or the trails.
• Scrape, crawl, or bulk-download the site, or copy our route database.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the site, disrupt it, or upload anything harmful.
• Use our contact form to send spam or solicitations.
• Misrepresent yourself as speaking for Hike NWA.

We may remove content or restrict access to the site at our discretion.

Links to other sites and services

We link to navigation apps, social media, donation and form services, and the websites of the cities and property owners who manage local trails. We do not control those services and we are not responsible for their content, availability, terms, or privacy practices. Once you leave hikenwa.org, their rules apply.

Group hikes and volunteer-led events

Hikes posted or promoted through this site are led by volunteers who hike because they love it—not by paid professional guides. Hike leaders are not required to hold medical, wilderness, or guiding certifications.

Participation in any hike or event is entirely voluntary and at your own risk. You are responsible for deciding whether a particular hike suits your fitness, health, and experience, and for turning back if it does not. Some events may require a signed waiver before you participate. Anyone under 18 needs a parent or guardian’s permission and, where we say so, their presence.

Hikes that others organize in our Facebook group or elsewhere are not ours, and we do not vet, supervise, or take responsibility for them.

Disclaimer of warranties and limitation of liability

To the fullest extent allowed by law, this site and everything on it is provided on an as is and as available basis, without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, or non-infringement. We do not warrant that the site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or current.

To the fullest extent allowed by law, Hike NWA and its board members, officers, volunteers, and hike leaders are not liable for any injury, death, property damage, loss, or other damages of any kind arising out of or connected with your use of this site, your reliance on information published here, or your participation in any hike or event.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain warranty disclaimers or liability limitations, so parts of this section may not apply to you.

Changes and governing law

We may update these terms as the site grows. When we do, we will change the date at the top of this page. Continuing to use the site after a change means you accept the updated terms.

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Arkansas, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. Any dispute arising from this site or these terms will be brought in the state or federal courts located in Benton County, Arkansas.

If any part of these terms is found unenforceable, the rest stays in effect.

Questions about these terms

Send us a note through our contact form. You can also read our Privacy Policy.

Hike NWA
412 Town Center NE #1044
Bella Vista, AR 72714
EIN 42-2911997

That address is a mailbox we use for mail, not a physical office. Hike NWA operates in Bella Vista, Arkansas.