If you've ever walked through a public park or across a grassy college campus, you've definitely noticed the phenomenon. Inevitably, there's a paved path or sidewalk leading from Point A to Point B. And then, branching off of that path, is a well-worn patch of dirt where people have chosen to walk instead.
Often the unofficial path is more efficient or more pleasant, and it's just so inviting that you can't help but branch off and walk it yourself. These human-made shortcuts are called Desire Paths — or sometimes Cow Paths or Elephant Paths. (Named as such because big, lumbering animals like to take the shortest route between two points.)
Some people say Desire Paths occur when a design fails to connect with human behavior.
Which makes them incredibly useful for urban planners and other people who design walking paths! Desire Paths are studied heavily, and some places even choose to pave over them once they appear, making them more official. (While others intentionally block them off).
There are even cases where no paving was done until Desire Paths naturally formed — when crowds of people did the engineers' and urban planners' work for them.
from DesirePaths
People are absolutely fascinated by Desire Paths.
The subreddit devoted to them has over fifty-thousand members! There are massive groups on Flickr where people share photos of desire paths they find in the wild. And a recent X thread of desire paths racked up almost thirty million views.
Why is it that Desire Paths spark such a reaction in us? If I had to guess, it's because Desire Paths are small acts of rebellion. They are literally a visual representation of going off the beaten path. The symbolism is powerful in a world that can feel very mundane and predictable.
They're also something that we create together. No one single person creates a new path. They hold a collective wisdom that resonates deeply somewhere in our souls.
And they teach us about ourselves, believe it or not. Here are a few things we can learn about ourselves from Desire Paths.
1. We're not superstitious, but we're a little stitious.
There are lots of examples of Desire Paths forming around archways or leaning objects.
Sure, you could say people walk around so they don't bump their heads, or maybe to make room for passing cyclists.
But I like to think we just don't want to risk the bad karma.
from DesirePaths
2. Anything that gets in the way of a straight line is annoying.
from DesirePaths
In the same vein, why walk in a complicated squiggly shape when we can just cut right across?
wetwebwork/Flickr
3. We like gentle hills more than stairs.
It's surprising and fascinating how often people will avoid going up and down stairs if they can cut through the grass instead.
Human beings' hatred of stairs is well-documented, but it's interesting to see it play out visually.
Gordon Joly/Flickr
Some studies estimate walking up stairs is twice as hard on the body compared to walking up a hill.
thepismire/Flickr
4. We don't like sharp turns.
If you know people, you won't be surprised to hear that we like to cut corners!
Dan Keck/Flickr
We're not robots! We don't like turning at right angles. Plus, if we're in a rush, a more efficient path saves us time.
George Redgrave/Flickr
5. We like feeling connected to the people that came before.
Holloways are a special sort of Desire Path, carved deep into forests and other nature. They are often ancient. They are ever-changing.
By Romain Bréget, CC BY-SA 4.0
By walking through these paths, we become a part of them and a part of history.
A quote from Rebecca Solnit sums it up perfectly:
“Walking is a mode of making the world as well as being in it.”
So go ahead and take the road less traveled. Follow your intuition. You might be on to something, and it could be the beginning of a new and better path!
