Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 2025
SwimmingHolesGuide.com (“we”, “us”, or “our”) is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard information when you visit our website.
Information We Collect
Information You Provide
We collect information you voluntarily provide when you contact us through our contact form, including your name and email address. We use this information solely to respond to your inquiry and do not store it beyond what is necessary.
Information Collected Automatically
When you visit SwimmingHolesGuide.com, we automatically collect certain information about your device and usage including:
- Pages visited and time spent on each page
- Browser type and operating system
- General geographic location (country and city level only)
- Referring website or search query that brought you to our site
- Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
This information is collected through Google Analytics and is used to understand how visitors use our site so we can improve it. We do not use this data to identify individual users.
Cookies
Our website uses cookies — small text files placed on your device — to improve your browsing experience and enable certain features.
Types of Cookies We Use
- Analytics cookies: Google Analytics places cookies to help us understand site traffic and usage patterns. These cookies collect information in an anonymous form.
- Advertising cookies: Google AdSense places cookies to serve relevant advertisements based on your interests and previous browsing activity. These cookies are placed by Google, not by us directly.
- Functionality cookies: These cookies remember your preferences to improve your experience on return visits.
You can control and manage cookies through your browser settings. Please note that disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of this website. For more information about how Google uses cookies in advertising, visit Google’s Advertising Privacy Policy.
Third Party Services
Google Analytics
We use Google Analytics to analyse website traffic. Google Analytics collects data about your visit including pages viewed, time spent, and general location. This data is processed by Google in accordance with their Privacy Policy. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
Google AdSense
We display advertisements served by Google AdSense. Google uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to serve ads based on your prior visits to our website and other websites on the internet. You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings.
Amazon Associates
SwimmingHolesGuide.com participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. When you click links to Amazon.com and make a purchase, Amazon may place cookies on your device. Amazon’s data practices are governed by their Privacy Notice.
How We Use Your Information
We use the information we collect to:
- Improve the content and functionality of our website
- Understand which swimming hole guides are most useful to our visitors
- Respond to contact form inquiries
- Display relevant advertisements through Google AdSense
- Analyse traffic patterns to improve our state and location guides
We do not sell, trade, or transfer your personal information to third parties. We do not use your information for any purpose beyond what is described in this policy.
Data Retention
Contact form submissions are retained only as long as necessary to respond to your inquiry. Analytics data is retained in accordance with Google Analytics default retention settings. We do not maintain personal user databases or profiles.
Children’s Privacy
SwimmingHolesGuide.com is not directed at children under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
External Links
Our website contains links to external sites including Amazon, Google Maps, and various national and state park websites. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of these external sites. We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any site you visit through links on our pages.
Your Rights
Depending on your location, you may have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- The right to access personal data we hold about you
- The right to request correction of inaccurate data
- The right to request deletion of your personal data
- The right to opt out of certain data processing activities
To exercise any of these rights, please contact us through our contact page.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or for legal reasons. Updated policies are effective immediately upon posting. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Continued use of our site after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.
Contact Us
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or our data practices, please contact us through our contact page.
SwimmingHolesGuide.com — Your guide to natural swimming across America.