My Life Size Labyrinths

Maze graphics or online Mazes in virtual reality are cool, but nothing can equal the mystery and majesty of having your physical body surrounded by a life size Maze or Labyrinth in real reality. Here are some life size unicursal Labyrinths and Maze puzzles I've made in various media:

• Canvas Labyrinth: A unicursal Labyrinth in the Chartres Cathedral plan measuring 28 feet across, with passages 10" wide and walls 1" thick, is at Kent Unity Church. I designed and helped paint it, where it was dedicated on September 8, 2002. This Labyrinth was featured in the newspaper in September, 2003 which can be seen here.
• Sand Labyrinth #1: I enjoy making Mazes in the sand on the beach, that one can walk through whenever I can, as seen in this Chartres cathedral style unicursal Labyrinth, created in June, 1998.
• Sand Labyrinth #2: This is another Labyrinth done in the sand on the ocean shore. This is in a Native American "Man in the Maze" variant of the classical seven circuit style of unicursal Labyrinth, and was created on September 12, 1999.
• Sand Labyrinth #3: Another Labyrinth done in sand on the ocean shore. This one is in the ten circuit Cretan style of unicursal Labyrinth, and was created on May 2, 2001.
• Sand Labyrinth #4: Yet another Labyrinth in sand at the ocean, in the classic seven circuit style of unicursal Labyrinth, created on August 31, 2001.
• Irish sand Labyrinth: A classic seven circuit sand Labyrinth created on the beach of Dingle Harbor in Ireland, created on May 25, 2004, for the 6th Gate of the 11:11 Doorway. Another picture of this Labyrinth can be seen here. A different Labyrinth I made there three days earlier at night can be seen here.
• Night sand Labyrinth: This sand Labyrinth was created at night by flashlight at Golden Gardens Park in Seattle, Washington, on October 14, 2004. The log in the middle of the seed pattern area was dragged across the sand to draw the walls.
• Birthday Labyrinth: This sand Labyrinth was created at Carkeek park in Seattle, Washington, on January 8, 2005, in honor of my wife Jessica's 28th birthday. :-)
• Carkeek sand Labyrinth: Another sand Labyrinth created at Carkeek park, in the Chartres Cathedral style, in Seattle, Washington, on April 24, 2005.
• Golden Gardens sand Labyrinth: Another classical seven circuit sand Labyrinth created at Golden Gardens Park in Seattle, Washington, on September 4, 2005.
• La Push sand Labyrinth: An ocean sand Labyrinth at La Push, Washington, in a modified form of classic seven circuit style of unicursal Labyrinth, created on September 19, 2008.
• Taholah sand Labyrinth: An ocean sand Labyrinth near Taholah, Washington, specifically a nine circuit unicursal Labyrinth with circuit sequence 321654987, created on September 19, 2009.
• Moclips sand Labyrinth: An ocean sand Labyrinth near Moclips, Washington, specifically a pentagonal five circuit unicursal Labyrinth with circuit sequence 52341, also created on September 19, 2009.
• Grass Labyrinth #1: This is a classical seven circuit style unicursal Labyrinth, made on a lawn using string tied to nails stuck in the ground, created on August 11, 1999, for the 4th Gate of the 11:11 Doorway.
• Grass Labyrinth #2: This is another Labyrinth made on a lawn of a friend's place with string and nails, in the style of the "Man in the Maze" variant of the classical seven circuit unicursal Labyrinth, created on November 12, 2000.
• Rock Labyrinth: This beach Labyrinth was made with rocks above the high tide mark, so was semi-permanent. It's a classical seven circuit, created to replace an older rock Labyrinth somebody else made with a different pattern, after that Labyrinth was no longer visible. This was at Golden Gardens park in Seattle, Washington, on May 9, 2004.
• Chalk Labyrinth #1: I drew this classical seven circuit style unicursal Labyrinth with chalk on the pavement of a driveway in April, 1999.
• Chalk Labyrinth #2: Friends and I drew this classical seven circuit style unicursal Labyrinth with chalk in a parking lot on February 5, 2005.
• Snow Labyrinth: I carved this classical seven circuit unicursal Labyrinth in the snow, with the text "Think Labyrinth!" around the perimeter, outside my apartment on January 9, 2005.
• Snow Maze: Here's a non-unicursal Maze I carved in the snow on the front lawn of where I lived around 1987. The image is a scan of two photos laid side by side.
• Sand circle Maze: Here's a non-unicursal 11 ring Maze drawn at the ocean on "3rd Beach" by LaPush, Washington, on September 18, 2005.
• Sand spiral Maze: Here's a Spiralstorm style Maze drawn at the ocean on by Moclips, Washington, on September 22, 2007.

Life Size Mazes

A few images of life size Mazes I've personally visited:

• Glacier Maze: This is the first life size Maze I ever visited. It's located in Coram, Montana, right outside of Glacier National Park. I was there in 1988 and 1989.
• Glacier Maze record: In 1989 I set the record for the fastest time through! They change the way through a few times a year, resetting the record time in the process, however you only get one try at the season record, as it's much easier once you've done it before.
• Tarp Maze #1: On the way to Glacier Maze, I noticed this life size Maze formed of tarps alongside I-90 just outside of Spokane, Washington.
• Tarp Maze #2: Darest thou enter the Labyrinth? This was erected for the Kent Canterbury Renaissance Faire in Kent, Washington in August, 2000. It's not really made of tarps, but rather sheets hanging between wood stakes. It measured 14 by 14 passages, and was a "braid" Maze i.e. one with no dead ends in it.
• Tarp Maze #3: The Amazing Castle Maze was at the Kent Canterbury Renaissance Faire in August, 2005. It's plan here measured 9 by 9 passages, and was the first Maze at the Faire since 2000.
• Evergreen Maze: This life size Maze was located in Gig Harbor, Washington, and was composed of evergreen trees. The large circular figure in the background is a Moongate, where the path to the Maze goes through it. This Maze unfortunately no longer exists.
• Peace Labyrinth: Bellevue Unity Church has a life size unicursal Labyrinth in the Chartres Cathedral plan called The Peace Labyrinth on its grounds. On New Year's Eve of 1998 this other Chartres plan unicursal Labyrinth painted on three large pieces of canvas was displayed inside the church. On New Year's Eve of 1999 a different canvas Labyrinth was set up inside at the same location which may be seen here.
• Canvas Labyrinth: Once a month Plymouth Congregational Church in Seattle displays and has open to the public a life size unicursal canvas Labyrinth in the Chartres Cathedral plan. This Labyrinth is almost identical to those that were at Bellevue Unity above, except this one is painted in purple, instead of blue or green.
• Picnic Maze: This small life size Maze was temporarily erected during the 1995 Microsoft Company Picnic. It had a dinosaur theme and measured 13 passages by 7 passages. A map of the Maze may be seen here.
• Robot Maze: The Seattle Robotics Society has had contests at the Pacific Science Center where member built robots would run through a small wood Maze, seeing who could make it through in the shortest time.
• Science Center Maze: The Pacific Science Center sometimes has a Maze exhibit, including an indoor life size Maze visitors can walk through. They currently have a small and more or less permanent life size Maze the plan of which may be seen here.

Life Size Corn Mazes

One of the most common types of life size Maze is the cornfield Maze. Here are a some images of life size corn Mazes I've visited:

• Cornfield Maze #1: A very large life size Maze, with an outline in the shape of the state of Washington, and passages along major highways in the state, was created out of a cornfield in Snohomish, Washington in 1997.
• Cornfield Maze #2: Another large life size Maze, with three entrances (easy, medium, and hard) and an outline in the shape of two cows, was created out of a cornfield near the same area as above in 1998. They sold the postcard pictured there.
• Cornfield Maze #3: I visited a corn Maze on two acres at Chapman Farms outside of Aberdeen, Washington in September, 1999. It had a Halloween theme with scarecrows, cute signposts for paths, and other things in it. This was the first life size Maze I ever went through at night! A map of the Maze they had drawn and made available may be seen here.
• Cornfield Maze #4: Cornfield Mazes are common in Washington, and have no sign of stopping! This Maze, created as a part of A-Maze-ing Corn Fest '99 north of Seattle, was sponsored by QFC. I visited it on September 20, 1999. A-Maze-ing Cornfest 2001 north of Seattle featured four separate corn Mazes next to each other, in the shapes of airplanes or helicopters, that I visited in August, 2001.
• Remlinger Farms corn Maze: Remlinger Farms had two corn Mazes in 2007, where the smaller "kid's" Maze was in the shape of a pumpkin and had a large pumpkin in the nose which can be seen here, while a map of both Mazes can be seen here.
• Carpinito Brothers corn Mazes: Carpinito Brothers Farms in Kent, Washington creates corn Mazes every year:
  • 2000 Maze map: This Maze was in a shape of an Orca whale and her calf. The goal is to visit six different checkpoints (indicated by the circles next to the numbers on the map) and mark that you were there on your map with a hole punch.
  • 2002 Maze map: This year's Maze was in the shape of a whale with the name "Springer".
  • 2003 Maze map: This year's Maze was in the shape of Frankenstein and a witch.
  • 2004 Maze map: A picture of Halloween decorations in it can be seen here.
  • 2005 Maze map: A picture of the hole punching can be seen here.
  • 2006 Maze map: Notice the 9 passage junctions in the middle of each of the palm trees.
  • 2007 Maze map: An image of one of the checkpoints can be seen here.
  • 2008 Maze map: An image looking down a long passage can be seen here.
  • 2009 Maze map: An image showing how this Maze is family friendly, with room for two strollers side by side can be seen here.

• Biringer Farm corn Mazes: Biringer Farms in Marysville, Washington created corn Mazes every year:

  • 2002 Maze map: This Maze formed a map of the world with the text "A Mazing Race". I visited it on September 22, 2002.
  • 2003 Maze map: This year's Maze was in the shape of two hemispheres of a globe.
  • 2004 Maze map: A picture of a muddy passage can be seen here.
  • 2005 Maze map: A picture of a tunnel passage they often use can be seen here.

  • 2006 Maze map: This was the last year they produced a life size cornfield Maze.

• Stocker Farms corn Mazes: Stocker Farms in Snohomish, Washington creates corn Mazes every year:
  • 2004 Maze map: A picture of one of two bridges in their Maze can be seen here.
  • 2005 Maze map: Another picture of a bridge can be seen here.
  • 2007 Maze map: A picture looking down from a bridge can be seen here.
  • 2008 Maze map: A picture looking across from a bridge can be seen here.
  • 2009 Maze map: A picture of a passage with a hot air balloon in the background can be seen here.
• Carleton Farm corn Mazes: Carleton Farm near Lake Stevens, Washington creates corn Mazes every year:
  • 2006 Maze map: This Maze featured a bridge marked by a flagpole, which can be seen here.
  • 2007 Maze map: Many Washington corn Mazes were damaged in a windstorm in October, 2007. An image of a passage next to a blown down section of corn can be seen here.
  • 2008 Maze map: This map has been edited with red to indicate the location of additional passages and the Maze's one bridge. A picture of their small Kid's Maze near the main corn Maze can be seen here.
  • 2009 Maze map: A picture from the bridge in a light rain can be seen here.

More Life Size Mazes

The life size Mazes in this section I haven't visited:

• Hampton Court hedge Maze: Perhaps the most famous Maze in the world. Image scanned from a postcard.
• Longleat hedge Maze: The largest hedge Maze in the world, when measuring path length.
• Survivor Maze #1: "This next challenge will prove harder than the rest. You'll be rats in the maze for this little test. Just keep your wits, and you'll make it with ease. The prize is the idol, and that's much better than cheese." In the TV show Survivor II on CBS, the immunity challenge in episode 5 was a race through a Maze. There were two identical Mazes built side by side, where the two tribes had to enter, find each of the checkpoints within their Maze in order, and then exit. The Maze measured 13 by 17 passages, and contained 22 dead ends and 5 passage loops. They say it took 46 tons of lumber, three miles of burlap, and two weeks to build. A game which allows one to try to solve this Maze comes with the program Daedalus, where a screenshot from this game can be seen here. A slightly modified version of this game was used by the Survivor Spades online league for one of their challenges.
• Survivor Maze #2: In Survivor IV, the immunity challenge in episode 6 was another race through a Maze. This time there was just one Maze, which both tribes were inside at the same time, where they had to find each of their checkpoints within the Maze in order, returning to the center after each one. The Maze was symmetric, in five rings, and contained 14 dead ends and 3 passage loops. A game which allows one to try to solve this Maze comes with the program Daedalus, where a screenshot from this game can be seen here. A modified version of this was used by the Survivor Spades 2 online league for another one of their challenges.
• Survivor Maze #3: In Survivor VI, the immunity challenge for the final four was yet another race through a Maze. The final contestants had to race through the Maze blindfolded, finding four checkpoints represented by the four elements, returning to the center when done. Each quadrant of the Maze was symmetric, where the whole thing contained 40 dead ends and 12 passage loops. A game which allows one to try to solve this Maze comes with the program Daedalus, where a screenshot from this game can be seen here.

• Survivor Maze #4: In Survivor VIII, the immunity challenge for the final four again was one more race through a Maze. The final contestants had to race through the Maze with minor obstacle courses in certain passages, finding eight checkpoints in the eight points of the star shaped Maze, returning to the center when done. A game which allows one to try to solve this Maze comes with the program Daedalus, where a screenshot from this game can be seen here.

• Survivor Maze #5: In Survivor IX, the immunity challenge for the final four this time was a race through a vertical Maze, which was like a 2D Maze flipped on edge. The final contestants had to navigate the Maze, climbing up and down ladders to change their elevation, and find ten different checkpoints within the Maze in any order, returning outside after each. A game which allows one to try to solve this Maze comes with the program Daedalus, where a screenshot from this game can be seen here.

• Survivor Maze #6: In Survivor XI, the immunity challenge for the final four was a race through a bird shaped Maze. The final contestants had to race through the Maze, finding six different checkpoints within the Maze in any other, going across a pool of water and then up a Maya pyramid in the middle after each. A game which allows one to try to solve this Maze comes with the program Daedalus, where a screenshot from this game can be seen here.

• Survivor Maze #7: In Survivor XIV, the immunity challenge for the final five was a race through several Mazes. The final contestants had to race through five Mazes in sequence while blindfolded, finding a checkpoint within each that yields the key to the next area. A game which allows one to try to solve this Maze comes with the program Daedalus, where a screenshot from this game can be seen here.

World's Largest Maze

So what is the largest Maze in the world? In the 2005 Special 50th Anniversary Edition of the Guinness Book of World Records we have:

• Largest temporary corn maze and pathway: Stewarts GardenLands Maize Maze covered an area of 16.9 acres (68,271 m²) when it opened on July 10 2003 in Christchurch, Dorset, UK. The maze, which has a central lobster shape, was designed by Adrian Fisher (UK) and created by Martin and Susie Stewart (both UK). A 8.83-mile-long (14.22-km) pathway in the maze holds the record for the longest path in a temporary maze.
• Largest permanent hedge maze and pathway: The largest permanent hedge maze is the Peace Maze at Castlewellan Forest Park, County Down, Northern Ireland, UK, which has a total area of 2.77 acres (11,215 m²) and a total path length of 2.18 miles (3.51 km). The maze opened on September 12 2001 and was designed by Beverly Lear (UK) and created by the Forest Service, Northern Ireland, UK, assisted by members of the public. The 2.18-mile-long (3.51-km) pathway holds the record for the longest pathway in a permanent hedge maze.
• Largest permanent tree maze: Designed by Erik and Karen Poulsen (both Denmark), the Samso Labyrinten on the Island of Samso in Denmark has an area of 645,835 ft² (60,000 m²) and its path measures 16,830 ft (5,130 m). It was created in September 1999 and opened to the public on May 6 2000.
• Oldest hedge maze: The maze in the gardens of Hampton Court Palace, Surrey, UK, was built for King William III of England. Designed by royal gardeners George London and Henry Wise (both UK), it was planted between 1689 and 1695 using hornbeam Carpinus. The maze covers an area of 0.5 acres (0.2 hectares), with a total path length of 0.5 miles (800 m).

The world's largest Maze as listed in the 2001 Guinness Book of World Records is the Pineapple Garden Maze at Dole Plantation. Before that, in the 1997 Guinness Book of World Records, we had:

• The largest maze ever constructed was made in a cornfield in Shippensburg, PA. It had a total path of 2.03 miles and covered in area of 172,225 square feet, and was in existence for two months in August-September 1995.
• Permanent: The largest permanent maze is the hedge maze in Ruurlo, Netherlands, which has an area of 94,080 square feet. It was created from beech hedges in 1891.
• The maze with the greatest path length is at Longleat, Warminster, England. It was opened on June 6, 1978 and has 1.69 miles of paths flanked by 16,180 yew trees.
• The K.I.D.S. maze in Shaw Park, Clayton, MO was made of PVC posts, with fencing and clear plastic stretched between the posts. It covered an area of 175,250 square feet, with a total path length of 2.47 miles. The maze was erected in May 1996 and taken down in June 1996. [This entry was in the "Extra! Extra!" recent arrivals section.]

Before that, in the 1987 Guinness Book of World Records, we had:

• The largest maze is Il Labirinto at Villa Pisani, Stra, Italy, with 4 mi of paths. Napoleon was "lost" in it in 1807. The oldest datable representation of a labyrinth is that on a clay tablet from Pylos, Greece, from c. 1200 BC. [I don't know why this Maze is no longer mentioned.]
• The largest hedge maze is at Longleat, Wiltshire, Eng. with 1.69 mi of paths flanked by 16,180 yew trees. It was opened on June 6, 1978 and measures 381 x 187 ft." [This Maze is also still mentioned above.]

I've made a few of my own attempts at largest Mazes:

• The Connelly Maze: In 1987, when I saw that the largest Maze had 4 miles of paths in it, I resolved to beat it! The result was a computer generated Maze printout with 4.2 miles of paths, with dimensions of over 23 long by 11 feet wide. The Maze is 1023 passages across by 2047 down, and printed on 688 pages. I wrote the Guinness people about this Maze, and got a response that they had a number of computer Maze submissions, including one that was almost a half mile long. Note the two Mazes here are also mentioned near the top of my Maze Mansion page.
• The Connelly II: In 1988 I finished an even larger Maze, created in response to the largest computer Maze the Guinness people had received. The stack of paper on the bed in the picture is one long, thin Maze, measuring only 8.8 inches wide but 130 feet more than a half mile long. This one is 39 passages across by 199999 down, with over 22 miles of paths, and printed on 3031 pages. I wrote the Guinness people about this Maze as well, but the response was that they didn't have a category for computer Mazes. As far as I can tell, this is or at least was the largest computer generated Maze at the time.
• Castle at the center of the Labyrinth: This shows a long thin Maze unrolled around the house I lived in at the time. This was taken November 29, 1987 and done in honor of my one year anniversary of seeing the movie Labyrinth for the first time. I unrolled the Maze making my house like Jareth's castle at the center of his Labyrinth, then watched the movie. :-)
• Tower Maze: The Tower Maze is the second largest computer Maze I've ever printed. At the time I finished it, in November, 1987, it was the largest I ever did. It is exactly 30% the size of the Connelly II Maze, my current largest. It's printed on 935 sheets of paper, has 6.76 miles of passages, and weighs over 11 pounds. The smaller Maze on the left is the one I unrolled around the house above, where it's titled the Choreographic Maze.

Life Size Maze Links

A selection of links about cornfield and other life size Mazes in the physical world around us:

• Adrian Fisher Maze Design: Numerous life size Mazes, products, info, and more, by the organizer of England's "Year of the Maze". See also Adrian Fisher's Maize Mazes and Adrian Fisher's World Maze Database.
• Minotaur Mazes: Creator of many themed, interactive, traveling, and educational life size Mazes.
• The MAiZE: The world's largest cornfield Maze company.
• MazePlay: Another cornfield Maze company, that can design and cut corn Mazes for you. For their older designs see Great Adventure Corn Mazes.
• American Maze Company: Creator of many record-breaking life size "maize" Mazes.
• The Corn Maze Directory: A directory of corn Mazes in the USA and Canada, by Etty Blum.
• Maize Quest: Creator of many corn and other types of Mazes, with a focus on contests and other fun activities. Play their Maze Quest computer game here.
• Maze Mania: A 2.5 acre wooden fence Maze that gets changed every day in Garden City, South Carolina.
• Black Hills Maze: A 39,000 square foot Maze (1.2 miles of paths) constructed of Douglas Fir, among a family adventure play park south of Rapid City, South Dakota.
• Cowtown Cattlepen Maze: A 5400 square foot Maze and other attractions in Forth Worth, Texas.
• The Garden Maze: A hedge Maze in Luray Caverns, Virginia.
• Foster's Produce and Corn Maze: Foster's Produce in Arlington, Washington has made a giant cornfield Maze every year since 1998.
• Hedgend Maze: Hedgend Maze in Victoria, Australia features a life size hedge Maze, a "rainbow" Maze, and other activities.
• Maze Lecture: Describes different kinds of Mazes and Labyrinths; includes a picture of six French garden Mazes (a large one surrounded by five smaller ones).
• Soekershof Walkabout: About a collection of life size Mazes and Labyrinths in South Africa.
• Mike's Mazes: A list of life size Mazes in the United Kingdom and information on types of Mazes.
• Amazing Stuff: Mazes and Labyrinths in life sized versions, books, and other products, by Steve Gordon.
• Maze hobby: A discussion of Mazes in movies and life sized versions of them, by Greg Keogh.
• Modular Maze Panels: Life size tarp Mazes and how to construct them, by Paul, Bob, Ken and Bob.

Labyrinth Links

A selection of links about unicursal Labyrinths and their use in spiritual growth:

• Mid-Atlantic Geomancy: Unicursal Labyrinths, how to make them, and how use them in meditation. See also The Labyrinth Society.
• Labyrinthina Home Page: Site about the spiritual significance of Labyrinths, with life size Maze pictures.
• Labyrinthproducts.com: Labyrinth Products From Relax4Life include finger Labyrinths, jewelry, books, Labyrinth making kits, and more.
• Grace Cathedral: Has information about Veriditas, the world-wide Labyrinth project and features online shopping for Labyrinth products. See also their Grace Online page.
• Awakenings Labyrinth: Dan Johnston's site contains information about the classical and Chartres style Labyrinths, their spiritual meanings, and how to make them.
• Labyrinths: The Pilgrim's Way: Fish Eaters presents a traditional Catholic view of Labyrinths and Labyrinth walking, along with geometrical measurements.
• The Sacred Labyrinth Walk: Open to a new spiritual experience in the Labyrinth, by Georgiana Lofty.
• Mystery Labyrinth: Lots of online simulations, pictures, and information about Labyrinths and Mazes.
• PAXworks: Resources, information, and products offered for the Labyrinth journey.
• Jo Edkins' Maze Page: Excellent analysis of many types of unicursal Mazes and variants, and how to make them.
• Through Mazes to Mathematics: An analysis of the properties of unicursal Mazes, by Tony Phillips.
• Daedalus in the 21st Century: A program that generates all possible unicursal Labyrinths, by Tristan Smith.
• Surrender to the Heart: About Labyrinth Inspiration Cards and the Labyrinth of the Lake in Texas.
• Chartres replica: A Labyrinth with the same plan as the famous unicursal one in Chartres Cathedral was recently made in St. Paul Anglican Church in Vancouver, BC.
• Labyrinth Springs: About a unique spiritual Labyrinth in Labyrinth Springs, New Zealand, with a giant Genesa Crystal in the center.
• The Labyrinth: A global information network of resources in medieval studies.
• Northwest Labyrinth Enthusiasts: An MSN community about Labyrinths in the Pacific Northwest.
• Labirintus: A quality Hungarian index site with links to many Labyrinth and Maze sites in various categories.

Dead End Links

A selection of dead links. These sites are still listed for history and in the hope they will someday work again.

• The 2000 Corn Maze: Covered Wagon Farm Market in Northeastern Ohio presently has a 10 acre corn Maze along with other life size Mazes.
• Children's Maze: Info about a particular life size hedge Maze and Mazes in general.
• Amber Grove Gallery: Mazes carved in wood by computer controlled machinery.
• Of Labyrinths and Mazes: List of geographical names related to Mazes.
• The Labyrinth Letter: Monthly newsletter of Labyrinths, with Labyrinth pictures and links.
• Mazes - A Tangled History: Transcribed by Barbara Gordon, in the site of PARMA (The Pacific Association for Recreating the Middle Ages).

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