User Terms and Conditions
Privacy and Data Use Policy
Accessibility and Inclusion

This page explains how ChilliwackRiverValley.com works with everyone who visits our website or takes part in our services in the Chilliwack River Valley: the terms that apply, how we protect your information, and our commitment to access and inclusion. It’s written in plain language, and every agreement and waiver we sign with clients refers to it. We welcome your questions, comments and ideas about anything on this page. Email us at hi@chilliwackrivervalley.com.

Legal

Who We Are

ChilliwackRiverValley.com is an independent local business serving the Chilliwack River Valley, in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley. On this page, “we,” “us” and “our” mean ChilliwackRiverValley.com and the people behind it, including our team, guides, contractors and volunteers. “You” means anyone who visits our website, contacts us, books a service, volunteers with us or sends us content.

How This Page and Your Signed Agreement Work Together

Every service we offer is custom, so the details live in the documents you sign:

  • This page: sets the general rules for our website and all of our services.
  • Your signed agreement and waiver: set the details of your service, including what’s included, who provides each part, the price, any taxes, the currency, the payment schedule, the cancellation terms and the risks involved. Your agreement also names the business you’re contracting with.
  • If they differ: your signed agreement and waiver apply.
  • Before you sign: we give you the full agreement to read, and we send you a copy of everything you sign.
  • Agreeing to these terms: by using our website, you agree to this page. By booking a service, you agree to this page and to your signed agreement and waiver.

Licences, Insurance and Training

We hold a business licence and liability insurance, our team is trained in first aid, and where a job needs skills or experience we don’t have, we bring in qualified partners. We only run activities where any required permits are in place.

We’re Independent

We’re not affiliated with Tourism Chilliwack, BC Parks, any level of government or any First Nation, and nothing on this website speaks for them. When we mention or link to them, it’s to help you find information from the source.

Information on This Website

We work hard to keep everything here accurate, and we link to the sources behind our facts. But conditions in the valley change quickly: roads wash out, parks and sites close, fire bans begin and rules change. Our website is for planning and learning only. It isn’t a navigation aid or a safety guarantee, and it isn’t legal, medical or other professional advice. Before you go, check with the people responsible:

In an emergency, call 911. To report a wildfire, call 1-800-663-5555, or *5555 on a cell phone. There’s no cell service past the On the Way store on Chilliwack Lake Road, so plan ahead and leave a trip plan with someone you trust, as AdventureSmart recommends.

Laws That Apply

This page, our website and every service we provide are governed by the laws of British Columbia and the federal laws of Canada that apply there, wherever you live or are visiting from. Any legal matter is handled by the courts and tribunals of British Columbia. Nothing on this page takes away rights you have under the law that can’t be waived.

Changes to This Page

We may update this page as our services, the law or best practices change. The date at the bottom shows when it was last updated. Changes never alter an agreement you’ve already signed, which stays as it was when you signed it.

If Part of This Page Can’t Be Enforced

If a court or tribunal decides that any part of this page can’t be enforced, that part is limited only as much as needed, and the rest still applies.

Terms and Conditions

Booking a Service

Every guided experience starts with a conversation:

  • Talk it through: email us, and we’ll set up a call about who’s coming, your dates, your budget and what matters to you.
  • Get it in writing: we design your experience with you and put the price and every detail in your agreement.
  • Sign and confirm: your booking is confirmed once everyone taking part has signed the agreement and waiver and any required payment is made.
  • Declining a booking: we may decline or end a booking for safety, conduct or legal reasons, never for discriminatory ones.

Payments

Your signed agreement sets out each price, any taxes, the currency, the payment schedule and the cancellation terms:

  • Guided hikes: paid in full before the hike.
  • Other services: a deposit when you sign, and the balance before the service begins, by the date in your agreement.
  • Ways to pay: cash, debit, credit card and Interac e-Transfer, and other methods on request.
  • Currency: we usually price in Canadian dollars, and can accept US dollars, euros and some other currencies by arrangement. Any exchange or bank fees are yours.
  • Card security: card payments are handled by the banks and payment networks that process them. We never keep your card details, and we’ll never ask for card numbers by email.
  • Late payments: if a payment is late, we’ll contact you. If it still isn’t made, we may release your booking.

Cancellations, Weather and Rescheduling

Because every experience is custom, and people, planning and supplies are arranged in advance, payments aren’t refundable. We protect the value of what you’ve paid instead:

  • Guided hikes: if a trail is closed, we find another route. If the weather turns, we move your hike to another day, or the funds go toward our other services.
  • Weather, wildfire and closures: if an Environment and Climate Change Canada weather warning, a wildfire, an evacuation order, or a road, park, site or campground closure stops your service, we reschedule it within 12 months, with the same details as your signed agreement.
  • If you can’t make it: tell us as early as you can, ideally at least 30 days ahead. Where your agreement allows, you can pass your booking on to someone else, who then signs their own agreement and waiver.
  • If we have to cancel: for any other reason, you choose either a full refund or a new date.
  • Trip insurance: we recommend travel or trip cancellation insurance, especially if you’re travelling from outside the province.
  • Your legal rights: these terms don’t limit your rights under BC consumer law, including the right to cancel if we don’t deliver what we agreed.

Your Health, Fitness and Readiness

Your safety starts before you arrive:

  • Confirm you’re able: before any service, everyone confirms they’re physically and mentally able to take part safely, and signs off on it.
  • Tell us what we need to know: share any allergies, dietary needs, accessibility needs or anything else that could affect your safety, so we can plan around it.
  • Come prepared: bring the gear, clothing and medications we recommend for your service.
  • Speak up on the day: if anything changes, like an injury or feeling unwell, tell your guide right away.

Outdoor Risks

The Chilliwack River Valley is real wilderness, and no outdoor activity can be made completely safe. By taking part, you accept the risks that come with it, including:

  • Weather and water: sudden weather changes, cold, heat, fast rivers, cold lakes and rising water.
  • Terrain: steep and uneven ground, slips and falls, and falling trees and rocks.
  • Wildlife: bears, cougars and other animals, plus insects and plants that can cause harm.
  • Fire and tools: campfires, stoves, knives, axes and saws.
  • Wildfire and smoke: especially in summer and fall.
  • Distance from help: no cell service in much of the valley, and long waits for emergency services.

Your signed waiver sets out these risks in full.

Safety Calls on the Day

Safety comes first in every decision we make:

  • Our guides decide: they may change a route, or pause, shorten or end an activity, when conditions or anyone’s safety require it. Their call on the day is final.
  • Follow instructions: everyone follows the guide’s safety instructions and the rules of each site, park and property.
  • Unsafe choices: if someone’s choices put themselves or others at risk, we may end their participation, and they forfeit the fees for that service with no refund.

Alcohol, Cannabis and Drugs

We don’t sell, serve or supply alcohol or cannabis. Where a site, property or experience allows them, they’re for adults of legal age only, which is 19 in BC, and you must follow the law and the rules of that place. Catered events follow the expectations set out in their signed agreement. Illegal drugs and substances aren’t allowed at any time. If we believe someone is impaired and can’t take part safely, we may end their participation, and they forfeit the fees for that service with no refund. That decision is ours alone, because everyone’s safety comes first. Come sober, alert and ready, and you’ll get the most out of your time with us. What you do on your own time, within the law, is your business.

Children and Young People

Young people are welcome, with these rules:

  • Under 19: in BC, anyone under 19 is a minor. A parent or legal guardian must sign their agreement and waiver, and is responsible for supervising them closely the whole time.
  • Age limits: some activities have minimum ages, which we’ll tell you when we plan your service. For example, our longer day hikes are usually for ages 12 and up, and overnight and multi-day trips are for ages 16 and up.
  • Tools and fire: skills are matched to each person’s age and ability.
  • Photos: we never photograph or film anyone under 19.

Dogs, Guide Dogs and Service Dogs

Dogs are welcome where they’re allowed:

  • Dogs: welcome where the place allows them and everyone in your group agrees. You’re responsible for your dog, its behaviour and cleaning up after it, and you must follow each place’s pet rules.
  • Guide and service dogs: certified guide and service dogs are welcome on all our services, as BC’s Guide Dog and Service Dog Act provides.

Respect for the Land, Its People and Each Other

Everyone who takes part with us agrees to:

  • Treat people with respect: no harassment, discrimination, threats or violence toward anyone. Anyone who breaks this may be asked to leave, with no refund.
  • Leave no trace: pack out everything you bring, follow fire rules and bans, and leave places as you found them, as Leave No Trace Canada teaches.
  • Keep wildlife wild: never feed or approach animals, and store food and anything with a smell safely, as WildSafeBC recommends.
  • Respect First Nations lands and sites: stay out of cultural, archaeological and burial sites, and reserve lands, unless you’ve been invited, and leave artifacts where they lie. BC law protects archaeological sites.
  • Respect private property: only enter private land with the owner’s permission.
  • Follow the law: including holding a BC freshwater fishing licence where you need one, and the hunter training and licences that hunting requires.

Partners, Suppliers and Referrals

Many of our experiences bring together local businesses and people:

  • Who does what: when a partner provides part of your experience, like catering, transport, rentals or accommodation, your agreement says who provides each part.
  • Their terms apply too: partners run their own businesses, may have their own terms and waivers that you’ll also need to accept, and are responsible for their own services.
  • How we choose them: we work with licensed, insured and trusted local businesses wherever we can, and we pay fair market rates, so everyone earns a living wage for their time.
  • Referral fees: we recommend businesses because they fit what you need, never because of what they pay us. Some larger businesses share a referral fee with us. Many others, especially small local ones, pay us nothing, because we’d rather help them grow. Whenever we’re paid for referring you, we’ll tell you before you book with them.
  • Introductions: when we connect you with a local business or person, we introduce you and then step aside, so you can deal with them directly.

Local Consulting

Our local consulting shares what we know about the valley and the people who live and work here. It isn’t legal, financial, real estate or other professional advice, so please check important decisions with a qualified professional.

Volunteer Trail Cleanups

Our cleanups are volunteer-run, with these rules:

  • Volunteering: cleanups are unpaid, everyone signs a waiver, and children take part with a parent or legal guardian.
  • Staying safe: wear gloves and sturdy footwear, and follow the cleanup lead. Never pick up needles, chemicals or anything that looks hazardous. Tell the lead instead.
  • Reporting dumping: to report garbage dumped on Crown land, call the Province’s Report All Poachers and Polluters line at 1-877-952-7277, or report it online.

Photos and Video

We rarely photograph or film clients. When we plan to, we tell you in advance, and we only include people who’ve given permission in their signed agreement. Everyone in a group decides for themselves, and you can change your mind at any time. Volunteer trail cleanups are different: the cleanup waiver explains that volunteers may appear in photos or videos, and if you’d rather not, tell us at the start and we’ll keep you out of them. We never photograph or film anyone under 19. If you appear in something we’ve shared and want it removed, tell us and we’ll take it down.

Your Content Stays Yours

When you send us writing, photos or other work to publish, you keep full ownership. You give us permission to use and display it, always with credit to you, and you can ask us to remove it at any time. By sending it, you confirm it’s your own work, that anyone recognizable in it agreed to be included, and that it doesn’t break anyone else’s rights. We may decline or remove anything that breaks these terms or the law. We don’t publish photos where anyone under 19 can be recognized. Once something is removed from our site, copies others have already shared may still exist.

Our Content and Copyright

Here’s how our content can be used:

  • Our website: text, photos, maps, logos and badges are © 2026 ChilliwackRiverValley.com, unless they’re credited to someone else. Please ask before reusing them.
  • Our free guide: the Chilliwack River Valley guide is shared under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence, so you may share it unchanged, for non-commercial use, with credit to us.
  • Other people’s material: quotes, photos and other material from others stay under their own terms.
  • Our name: please don’t use our name, logos or badges in a way that suggests we endorse or partner with you, unless we’ve agreed in writing.

First Nations Knowledge

The Chilliwack River Valley is the traditional, ancestral and unceded territory of the Ts’elxwéyeqw, part of the Stó:lō. Place names, stories and knowledge on this website belong to the people who shared them. We share only what they’ve made public, with links to their own words, and we don’t speak for any First Nation. If anything is wrong, or shouldn’t be shared, please tell us and we’ll correct or remove it.

Links to Other Websites

We link to other websites to help you find information at the source. We don’t control them, and we aren’t responsible for their content, privacy practices or services.

Limits on Our Liability

To the fullest extent the law allows:

  • Outdoor risks: we’re not responsible for loss, injury or damage that comes from the risks of the outdoors described above, from your own choices, or from services that partners provide.
  • Belongings: we’re not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged personal belongings.
  • Our website: we provide our website as it is, and we’re not responsible for decisions made using its information.
  • Our total liability: where we are responsible, our total liability is limited to the amount you paid for the service involved.

Your signed waiver sets out the release of claims in full. Nothing on this page limits any liability that the law doesn’t allow us to limit.

Your Responsibility for Your Actions

If you break these terms, your signed agreement or the law, and that leads to a claim, cost or loss for us or anyone else involved, you’re responsible for it, to the extent the law allows.

Privacy Policy

Our Privacy Promise

We collect as little personal information as we can, keep it only as long as we must, and never sell it. We follow British Columbia’s Personal Information Protection Act and, where it applies, Canada’s Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).

Who Is Responsible

Our privacy lead is responsible for how we handle personal information, and answers every privacy question and request. You can reach them at hi@chilliwackrivervalley.com.

What We Collect

We only collect what we need to deliver your service safely and keep the records the law requires:

  • Contact details: your name, email address and any phone number you give us.
  • Booking details: your dates, group, plans, preferences and budget.
  • Signed documents: your agreement and waiver.
  • Health and safety details: your confirmation that you’re able to take part safely, and any allergies, dietary needs or accessibility needs you share, collected on a separate form.
  • Payment records: the amount, date and method of each payment, never your full card details.
  • Incident reports: if anything happens during a service.
  • Photos and video: only with your permission.
  • Your content: writing, photos or other work you send us to publish.
  • Messages: the emails you send us.
  • Notice list: your email address, if you ask to hear about cleanups or other news.
  • Website data: general statistics, explained in our Data Use Policy below.

Why We Collect It

We use your information only to:

  • Plan and deliver your service: including sharing what’s needed with partners who provide part of it.
  • Keep you safe: planning around health, allergies and accessibility, and helping in an emergency.
  • Handle payments and records: including the records the Canada Revenue Agency requires.
  • Reply to you: and send the notices you’ve asked for.
  • Meet our legal obligations: and protect everyone’s rights if a claim is made.
  • Improve our website: using general statistics.

We never sell, rent or trade your information, and we never use it for advertising.

Your Consent

Your information is yours to control:

  • We ask first: we collect, use and share your information only with your consent, unless the law allows otherwise.
  • Sensitive details: we ask for your express consent before collecting health details, photographing or filming you, publishing your content or adding you to an email list.
  • Changing your mind: you can withdraw consent at any time, unless the information is part of a record the law requires us to keep. Withdrawing some consent, such as for health details, may mean we can’t provide a service safely.

Who We Share It With

We share only what’s needed, and only with:

  • Our team: the guides and staff delivering your service.
  • Partners: businesses providing part of your experience, such as the caterer preparing food around your allergies, or a campground holding your reservation.
  • Emergency responders: if you need help.
  • Payment networks: the banks and networks that process card and e-Transfer payments.
  • Professional advisers: such as our lawyer, accountant or insurer, who must keep it confidential.
  • The law: when a court order or law requires it.

Where It’s Stored and How It’s Protected

Here’s how we protect your information:

  • Our own platform: we built and run our own private platform for our website, client information, transactions and data, and we avoid third-party services wherever we can.
  • In Canada: our website and client records are hosted, secured and encrypted in Canada.
  • Encrypted and limited: information is encrypted when it travels between you and our website, and it’s stored securely, with access limited to the people who need it.
  • Outside Canada: Google Analytics and Google Fonts may process website data in the United States and other countries, where it’s subject to those countries’ laws.

How Long We Keep It

We keep as little as we can, for as short a time as we can:

  • Deleted after your service: once your service and payments are complete, we permanently delete your contact details, booking notes, health and accessibility details, and anything else personal.
  • Kept only as long as the law requires: we securely keep signed agreements, waivers and any incident reports for as long as someone could make a legal claim under BC’s Limitation Act. That’s usually two years after an injury or loss is discovered, and longer for anyone who was under 19. We keep payment records for six years after the end of the tax year they relate to, as the Canada Revenue Agency requires. Then we permanently delete them.
  • Your content and photos: until you ask us to remove them.
  • Notice list: until you unsubscribe.

Your Privacy Rights

You can ask us to:

  • See your information: what we hold about you, how we’ve used it and who we’ve shared it with.
  • Correct it: if anything is wrong.
  • Delete it: except for records the law requires us to keep.
  • Stop using it: by withdrawing your consent.

Email us at hi@chilliwackrivervalley.com with “Privacy request” in the subject line. We’ll confirm who you are, respond within 30 days, and never charge you for it.

Children’s Privacy

Our website isn’t designed to collect information from children. If you’re under 19, please ask a parent or legal guardian to contact us for you. For our services, a parent or guardian provides and manages a young person’s information.

Emails and Notices

We only email you about things you’ve asked for, like cleanup dates or, from 2027, our newsletter. Every one of those emails will say who it’s from and include an easy way to unsubscribe, as Canada’s anti-spam law requires. Replies about your questions and bookings aren’t marketing, so we’ll send those as needed.

If Something Goes Wrong

If a privacy breach ever creates a real risk of significant harm to you, we’ll tell you as soon as we can, explain what happened and what we’re doing about it, and report it to the privacy commissioner as the law requires.

Data Use Policy

What Our Website Collects

You can use our website without telling us who you are. When you visit:

  • General statistics: Google Analytics counts visits and how people use the site, as explained below.
  • Technical details: like most websites, our server may record basic technical information, such as your IP address, browser and the pages you request, to keep the site secure and working.
  • Fonts: your browser loads our fonts from Google, as explained below.

We don’t collect your name or email address through the website unless you email us.

Google Analytics

Google Analytics gives us general, combined statistics, like how many people visit, which pages they read, roughly where they’re from and what device they use. It never tells us who you are. You can opt out with Google’s free opt-out browser add-on, or by blocking cookies in your browser. Google’s privacy policy explains how Google uses information from sites that use its services.

Google Fonts

Our website uses fonts from Google Fonts. When a page loads them, your browser shares your IP address with Google, which Google uses to deliver the fonts. We don’t receive this information.

Cookies

Cookies are small files a website saves in your browser. We use them only for Google Analytics, never for advertising. You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings at any time, and our website will still work.

Maps, Social Media and Other Links

When you tap a directions link, it opens Google Maps, and Google’s privacy policy applies. Our news, photos, videos and social pages may link to or show content from social media platforms, which have their own terms and privacy policies.

What We Never Do

Some things we never do with your data:

  • No selling: we never sell, rent or trade it.
  • No advertising: we don’t use advertising cookies, tracking pixels or targeted ads.
  • No profiles: we don’t build profiles of you or track you across other websites.

Coming in 2027

In 2027, we plan to launch user accounts, an email newsletter and a community blog. You’ll be able to manage what you share with us, and how you subscribe, from your account. We’ll update this page before they launch.

Disability Access and Inclusion

Everyone Is Welcome

People of all abilities, backgrounds and walks of life are welcome here. If you can reach points in the valley on your own or with help, you can join us.

Asking for an Accommodation

Tell us what you need when you first contact us, or any time before your service, and we’ll work with you to find a way:

  • Adapting activities: routes, pace, timing, equipment and support matched to you.
  • Information another way: if any part of our website or documents is hard to use, we’ll share it another way, such as plain text, large print or a call.
  • Private and respectful: accessibility details are handled under our Privacy Policy, and used only to plan your experience.

No Extra Cost for Accommodations

We never charge extra for disability accommodations. If your experience includes a service with its own cost, like transport, it’s priced in your agreement like any other part of your booking, and we’ll work with you to find the most affordable accessible option.

Fair Safety Decisions

Some places and activities in the valley are rugged. If an activity can’t be made safe for someone, even with reasonable changes, we’ll explain why and suggest another option that works. These decisions are made case by case and based only on safety, as BC’s Human Rights Code expects.

Guide Dogs and Service Dogs

Certified guide and service dogs are welcome on all our services, as BC’s Guide Dog and Service Dog Act provides.

What the Outdoors Is Like Here

Wild places aren’t built for easy access. Trails can be steep, narrow, rocky, muddy or snowy, and facilities like washrooms are basic. We’ll describe each place honestly, so you can choose what’s right for you.

Our Website

We aim to meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA, with clear text, good colour contrast and pages that work with screen readers and keyboards. If anything is hard to use, please tell us and we’ll fix it.

Respect for Everyone

We welcome and respect everyone, whatever their Indigenous identity, race, colour, ancestry, place of origin, religion, family or marital status, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or age, as BC’s Human Rights Code protects. Harassment and discrimination have no place with us.

Welcoming All Feedback

Help Us Improve This Page

This page is a living document. We believe in collaborative dialogue where every voice matters, and we want this page to be as clear, complete and fair as it can be. If you’re a client, partner or reader and something here is unclear, missing or could be better, please tell us. We’ll consider every suggestion and update the page whenever it helps.

We Want to Hear From You

Your ideas, questions, praise and concerns make this website and our services better. We read every message, and with your permission, the best ideas become new parts of this site.

Corrections

If you spot anything inaccurate or out of date, especially about First Nations history, names or protocols, please tell us. We’ll check it against trusted sources and correct it.

Concerns and Complaints

If something isn’t right, please tell us first, because most things can be fixed with a conversation:

  • Email us: at hi@chilliwackrivervalley.com, with what happened and what you’d like us to do.
  • We’ll reply: at a human pace, as quickly as we reasonably can. We can’t promise an exact time, but we usually reply the same day, and always within a week.
  • We’ll work it through: following your signed agreement, and we’ll tell you what we’ve decided and why.
  • No penalty: raising a concern never affects how we treat you.

If We Can’t Resolve It

You can also reach out to the independent offices that oversee these areas:

Reviews

We welcome honest reviews, good or bad, wherever you’d like to share them.

How to Contact Us

Email us at hi@chilliwackrivervalley.com. A real person reads every message. To help us reply faster, start your subject line with one of these:

  • Booking: for questions about a service or your agreement
  • Privacy request: to see, correct or delete your information
  • Accessibility: for accommodations or website access
  • Feedback: for ideas, corrections, concerns or suggestions for this page

In an emergency, call 911.

Last Updated

This page was last updated on October 30, 2026. When we update it, we change this date, and changes never alter an agreement you’ve already signed.

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