Merriam Webster dictionary defines a desire path as “an unplanned route or path (such as one worn into a grassy surface by repeated foot traffic) that is used by pedestrians in preference to or in the absence of a designated alternative (such as a paved pathway).”

This may sound like a pretty formal definition, but in its heart, desire paths show so much more than our daily shortcuts and preferred ways to reach destinations. They reflect routines, habits and presence of a living being, whether it’s a human or an animal. They stand like lines of traces carved well into dirt, grass, and anywhere, really.

There’s even this mesmerizing corner of Reddit, “Desire Paths,” “dedicated to the paths that humans prefer, rather than the paths that humans create.” Below we wrapped up some of the most interesting examples that capture our imagination.

#1 The World’s (Actual) Greatest Desire Path! He Carved A Road Through A Mountain Over 22yrs To Shorten The Distance From His Village To The Nearest Hospital From 70km To 1km

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#2 My Cat Passed Away Last Night. These Were His Paths

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#3 If You Try Sometimes, You Get What You Need

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When you want a shortcut, whether when going from the bus stop to the office or stopping by the corner shop, but the path designated for you seems way longer, you pick an unbeaten path instead. You soon realize that many others before you have already done that by traces it left in the grass. 

Robert Macfarlane describes desire paths as “paths and tracks made over time by the wishes & feet of walkers, especially those paths that run contrary to design or planning”; he calls them “free-will ways”. JM Barrie described them as “Paths that have Made Themselves”. There’s something both fascinating and somewhat mysterious about them, so no wonder there are countless Reddit threads and communities dedicated to them.

#4 Desire Path Of A 17yo Kitty

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#5 After Our Dog Passed, We Turned His Desire Path Into A Forever Path

Image credits: Muscles_McGeee

#6 Generations Of Bunnies Have Worn A Perfect Groove In My Neighbor’s Fence

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Andrew Furman, a professor in interior design and architecture at Ryerson University in Toronto, has been researching desire paths for years. According to him, they tell us something about “the endless human desire to have a choice. The importance of not having someone prescribe your path”. 

“An individual can really write their own story. It’s something really powerful if you do have that agency to move,” Furman argues. Desire paths allow us to “not follow the script,” something that can be interpreted as a form of resistance. This is because in a heavily constructed city, there are “rules as to how public and public-private spaces are used”, Furman believes.

#7 The Oval Walkways At Ohio State University Were Paved Based On The Students’ Desire Paths

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#8 Found This Beautiful Path Earlier This Year

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#9 Found A Lovely One In Dorset

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#10 Doggo Desire Path At A Local Off-Leash Park. Remember That Pavement Can Be Too Hot For Paws On A Sunny Day!

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#11 The Ants In My Garage Built A Bridge Over My Glue Trap

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#12 Ux vs. Design

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#13 It Took 4 Years

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#14 The Never Ending Path

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#15 At The Student Residence. I Tried To Walk The Intended Path For Once. It Was Long

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#16 Superstition

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#17 Desire Stairs

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#18 I’m In A Long Distance Relationship With My Girlfriend, And This Is Where I Walk When I’m On The Phone With Her Every Night

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#19 My Dog’s Desire Path Is Filling Up With Flower Petals. Looks Pretty At The Moment!

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#20 Honestly I’m Not Sure What They Expected

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#21 Yes Yes Yes!!

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#22 Found This As A Post On Facebook. Elephant Paths Anyone?

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#23 This College Paved Over The Desire Paths After Waiting A Year To See Where Mud Trails Formed

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#24 Desire Path Spotted On The Campus Of Monster’s University

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#25 The Sidewalks On My School’s Quad Are Not Symmetrical Because They Were Installed Based On Where The Grass Was Worn Out…

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#26 One Step Desire Path. Shortest One Ever

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#27 Does This Count? A Footpath So Badly Constructed Nobody Wants To Use It

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#28 Not Sure If This Is Allowed. Swimming Paths Made By A Moorhen On The Way To And From Its Nest

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#29 Was Told To Post This Here, So Here I Am Posting This Here

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#30 Google Acknowledges The Desire Paths On Our Campus

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#31 My College Put Sod On The Path And Put Up A Sign. The Students Listened To The Sign And Created A Path Next To The Sod

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#32 This Path In Russia Is Very Desired

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#33 People Made A Desire Pentagram Inside A Big Roundabout

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#34 Well Worn Wall Mart Path. Deepest I’ve Ever Seen

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#35 She’s Made A Few Desire Paths. I Like This One The Most

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#36 Restrictions In Poland Hitting Hard

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#37 You Can’t Make This Stuff Up

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#38 Squirrel Desire Path

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#39 My Dad Shoveled A Path But The Rest Of The Family Decided It Was Too Far

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#40 If This Isn’t A Big Enough Sign That You Need To Trim Your Hedges More Often I Don’t Know What Is

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#41 This Desire Path Has Slowly Disappeared Now That No One Is Coming To The Office Due To Covid… Wonder How Many Others Are Disappearing

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#42 My Moms Path For Entering And Leaving The Lake

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#43 It Seems We Desire A Sidewalk

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#44 Extreme Desire Path

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#45 Technical University Delft (Nl) Paved All Desire Paths

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#46 What Am I To Do With The 2 Seconds I Saved Today?

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#47 My University Giving Into The Desire Path

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#48 Check Out The Size Of This Absolute Unit

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#49 Dutch Anti-Cobblestone Bicycle Desire Path

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#50 This Attempt At Making A Pathway Through A Park

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