Skip to main content
NCSU Department of Biological and Agriclutural Engineering North Carolina Cooperative Extension
BAE Home > topic > agritourism

Maze and Crop Maze Designs

What is a Maze?

* Maze Definitions
A maze consists of meandering or straight lines of intersecting paths having turns. Maze paths have start and end points. Generally only one correct path will take you out of a maze while others will be dead end points.

What is a Crop Maze?

A Crop Maze is a maze design that is transferred to a field of grown crops by mowing down a pathways through the crops. When a crop maze is seen from an aerial viewpoint the design is identifiable however, when people enter the maze after making a few turns they can become easily disoriented and confused due to a loss of vantage point.

Theme Maze Design

aerial view of a horse pulled buggy crop maze

Developing a maze design around a theme is a great way to jump start the design process and lend character to the maze. This farm in Moore County planned to attract people with a buggy maze based on the fact that Moore county has a history of buggy making. Many people visit nearby Carthage, NC (http://chathamhistory.org) once known as the buggy capital of the US. Visitors are attracted to the towns quaintness and for shopping in local antique businesses. Adding the option for a side-trip to a farm with a buggy maze is a nice way to round out a days activities in Moore county.

Maze Layouts

There are many web sites where you can learn the art of designing a maze and get ideas of what to design.

View More Farm Crop Mazes:

Above are mazes designs planned with GPS technology. Mazes were constructed at the NC extension technology transfer phase of GPS engineering research. The goal was to assist farmers with a technology driven way to increase farm revenue.

buggy drawing

This buggy drawing was planned out to have three different paths to enjoy.

Traditional Maze Design

maze layout with three paths

This traditional maze was used on a farm in Wilson County, NC.

This maze was designed with three paths. Traditional mazes can be just as challenging as any theme mazes to plan out.

Mazes can have one or multiple paths for visitors to choose to explore and these paths can be designed to challenge a visitors of different levels from a path for just kids to one that test the most maze minded personality.

Return to GPS mazes