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Each Saturday I post a new hard maze with all of them sitting in the Hard Maze Archive. I will try to post a variety of maze types to keep things interesting.
Weekly Hard Maze #31 - Triple Weaving Maze
Solution will be in the archive. Download is below.
If you solved that maze quickly and want to try some of my archival hard mazes, these posts should do the trick:
In a series of posts I will show you how to make a maze in a wide variety of design constructions. The second example we’ll look at is a construction variation of the standard maze construction. I call it a Standard Equal Maze Path design. Let’s define what I mean, then get into the example. Every how-to will use a simple square so you can compare the differences between each maze construction type. I will also show a consolidated secondary how-to using an irregular shape (the state of Ohio). If you want to see this type of maze made in video form, that is added at the end of the post.
Here is an outline for this blog post with jump links if you want to skip ahead to a section:
STANDARD EQUAL MAZE DEFINITION
HOW TO MAKE A MAZE WITH STANDARD EQUAL PATHS
HOW TO MAKE A MAZE WITH STANDARD EQUAL PATHS (OHIO VERSION)
COMPARION OF 2 STANDARD MAZE TYPES
STANDARD EQUAL MAZE DEFINITION
These also tend to be longer and more difficult mazes to solve because of the additional pathways it creates. While a Standard Maze looks white, the Standard Equal Maze looks much more black from the thicker lines.
THE 5 RULES OF MAZE DESIGN:
These 5 rules apply to any maze you make so we start with them !
1. Always keep an open pathway for the solution
While drawing a maze you will need to juggle multiple open pathways each of which could become the solution. One of them will become the solution. Keep track of it. This is especially important if you are designing pathways in both directions (from the start and from the goal).
2. Clearly mark the start and goal, or the objective of the maze
A maze should have a start and a goal that you can assess just by glancing at it. There are many ways to start and end a maze I review in this blog post: Options for Starting and Ending a Maze
3. Ensure the difficulty matches the intended audience
Most people want to solve a puzzle/maze that is just slightly below or slightly above their skill level. Many things help determine the difficulty of a maze. Size, number of branches, the length of dead ends, the number of choices, the complexity of the rules (if the maze has them).
4. Ensure your maze has a solution
When your maze is complete, solve it to determine the difficulty level and to ensure it is a real, solvable maze. Depending on the complexity of the maze you may want to do this right away or wait so you can properly assess the difficulty.
5. Explain anything that needs explaining
Some mazes have rules or conditions. Explain them with directions. If it isn't obvious, make it so.
Step 1 - Draw the Outline
The outline of the maze makes the outer wall of the maze. It can be anything from a simple shape like a square, to a complex picture. The outline should be thicker than the internal lines to give the maze definition. In the example below I show the grids and I made a 20 x 20 grid square..
Step 1.5 - Choose the Start and Goal
For the below example I left gaps in 2 corners for the start and the goal. If drawing a maze digitally you could choose this later, but for a hand drawn maze the maze outline will need to have gaps for the start and goal.
Step 2 - Start Drawing the Walls
Using a grid pattern, begin drawing the maze walls starting at the entrance of the maze. For a Standard Equal Maze the maze walls should be drawn to be equal width to the pathways in between them. When creating a standard equal maze - the wall width must be equal to half the grid size used. While drawing your walls make sure to never break the cardinal rule of maze design - never close all open paths so the maze can be solved. As you make the maze decide how difficult you want to make it. A low amount of path choices, and short dead end paths will make an easy maze. Longer dead ends and lots of path choices make a more difficult maze. The below example is starting off at an easy / medium difficulty.
Step 3 - Keep Drawing the Maze Walls
Like most mazes the middle part of design is a lot of keep doing what you are doing and draw more walls. There is nothing too complicated in the below example. The dead ends are long in this maze and there are many choices to make, increasing the difficulty. At this point I also have 4 open pathways which could be used as solutions.
Still drawing…
Step 4 - Complete the Maze
Draw the final walls and draw the exit. You have completed the drawing of a standard equal maze !
And I removed the grid.
Step 5 (Optional) - Draw the Solution
You have two options here - Option 1 - While the correct pathway is fresh in your mind, draw the solution to the maze. This is especially important with more complex mazes. It can also be a check to make sure your maze has a solution. This example maze is easy. Option 2 - Let the maze sit for a few days and try solving it yourself. Was it the difficulty you thought as you were designing it ? Did you enjoy it or did it frustrate you in any way ? Using option 2 means you are more likely to go back and make adjustments to improve the maze. Think of it as proofreading for mazes.
HOW TO MAKE A MAZE WITH STANDARD MAZE PATHS - abbreviated writing & using a different shape
Here is the original step by step maze done in the shape of Ohio. Use the next controls to watch the maze get made, then see the solution.
Step 1 - Draw the Outline - I drew Ohio and added a start at Cleveland. I put an Arrow near Cincinnati but did not officially make that the goal until I draw the maze.
Steps 2&3 - Drawing the Maze - Nothing too special. I drew in the maze from start to finish.
Step 4 - Complete the Maze - The maze determined where the goal would be placed and I finished the maze.
Step 5 - Draw the Solution - I added a solution, ensuring I made no mistakes in my design.
COMPARION OF 2 STANDARD MAZE TYPES:
Visually the Standard Equal Maze Paths design construction makes for a darker maze, and a more complex maze than the standard path maze. Although I did not measure the pathways, you can intuitively see that standard equal maze has much more pathway length.
Standard Equal Path maze
Standard Path Maze
And here is the same exact maze, one standard and one standard equal:
3 ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES OF STANDARD EQUAL MAZES
Below is an example of another standard equal paths maze of the state of New York. I wanted to show this example to mention that the outline is not the same width as the internal paths/walls. There is also a prominent Spiral maze pattern in the center of the state, although I would not consider this a spiral maze construction.
Our 2nd example shows what happens when we add some color to both standard maze variations, with the Rubber Ducky maze. While the background colors of yellow and orange are the same in each maze, the standard equal construction has a much darker look, with the thicker black walls holding back the colors underneath. The standard maze is bright and much easier to solve. Notice that because of the spacing of the orange beak compared to the wall spacing I decided not to maze the beak on the standard maze. Doing so would have only added a few meaningless lines on the beak.
For my 3rd example I want to show you a time when this construction can be used to make a completely different type of maze, the Hidden Message maze. A hidden message maze is a maze where the correct solve of the maze creates a message for the solver. I use this to make greeting cards with hidden messages. Here is an example. If the below maze was made with a standard construction it would need to be a much tighter ratio of grid/wall so the message remains hidden at a glance.
Can you figure out what it says from looking at it ? Scroll down for the answer.
“Miss you”. If this were made with a much wider standard construction the pencil/pen/writing utensil used would not fill the pathways as well, making the message much harder to read (in addition to being easier to find). Want to learn how to make a hidden message maze ?
FREE STANDARD MAZES TO SOLVE
If you want to solve some of this type of maze, check out the Regular Maze Section that features 40 different mazes available for free download ! They are all rectangular but are divided into sections by difficulty level. They are standard mazes which are a different ratio, but this relative is a good proxy.
RELATED MAZE CONSTRUCTIONS
There are 3 constructions that are very similar to a standard equal maze construction. The standard has a different ratio of pathways to walls, while the horizontal and vertical maze constructions are the same as above but exaggerate the maze design in a particular direction (so the maze looks horizontal or vertical). I will link to each of their how-to posts once they are updated !
How to Make a Horizontal Maze
How to Make a Vertical Maze
MAKING A STANDARD EQUAL MAZE VIDEO
Here is a quick 3:31 minute video of the making of a simple Standard Equal Maze.
In a series of posts I will show you how to make a maze in a wide variety of maze design constructions. The best place to start this topic is with the standard maze construction. Let’s define what I mean, then get into the example. Every how-to will use a simple square so you can compare the differences between each maze construction type. I will also show a consolidated secondary how-to using an irregular shape (the state of Ohio).
Here is an outline for this blog post with jump links if you want to skip ahead to a section:
HOW TO MAKE A MAZE WITH STANDARD MAZE PATHS
HOW TO MAKE A MAZE WITH STANDARD MAZE PATHS (OHIO VERSION)
STANDARD MAZE DEFINITION
THE 5 RULES OF MAZE DESIGN:
These 5 rules apply to any maze you make so we start with them !
1. Always keep an open pathway for the solution
While drawing a maze you will need to juggle multiple open pathways each of which could become the solution. One of them will become the solution. Keep track of it. This is especially important if you are designing pathways in both directions (from the start and from the goal).
2. Clearly mark the start and goal, or the objective of the maze
A maze should have a start and a goal that you can assess just by glancing at it. There are many ways to start and end a maze I review in this blog post: Options for Starting and Ending a Maze
3. Ensure the difficulty matches the intended audience
Most people want to solve a puzzle/maze that is just slightly below or slightly above their skill level. Many things help determine the difficulty of a maze. Size, number of branches, the length of dead ends, the number of choices, the complexity of the rules (if the maze has them).
4. Ensure your maze has a solution
When your maze is complete, solve it to determine the difficulty level and to ensure it is a real, solvable maze. Depending on the complexity of the maze you may want to do this right away or wait so you can properly assess the difficulty.
5. Explain anything that needs explaining
Some mazes have rules or conditions. Explain them with directions. If it isn't obvious, make it so.
HOW TO MAKE A MAZE WITH STANDARD MAZE PATHS
Step 1 - Draw the Outline
The outline of the maze makes the outer wall of the maze. It can be anything from a simple shape like a square, to a complex picture. The outline should be thicker than the internal lines to give the maze definition. In the example below I show the grids and I made a 10 x 10 grid square.
Step 1.5 - Choose the Start and Goal
For the below example I left gaps in 2 corners for the start and the goal. If drawing a maze digitally you could choose this later, but for a hand drawn maze the maze outline will need to have gaps for the start and goal.
Step 2 - Start Drawing the Maze Walls
Using a grid pattern, begin drawing the maze walls starting at the entrance of the maze. The smaller the size of the grid you use, the more difficult the maze can become. This is because a small grid will need more pathways to fill the space you are mazing. As you make the maze decide how difficult you want to make it based on your preference or your intended audience. A low amount of path choices, and short dead end paths will make an easy maze. Longer dead ends and lots of path choices make a more difficult maze. The below example is starting off as an easy maze.
Step 3 - Keep Drawing the Maze Walls
Like most mazes the middle part of design is a lot of keep doing what you are doing and draw more walls. There is nothing too complicated in the below example. The solution is not difficult to follow so far as there are still multiple possible solves still available to use. When I design a maze of any type I like to have multiple options open for most of the design process. When I get near the goal of the maze, that is where I decide which path works better. Take a quick moment to solve these mazes using your eyes. Notice the length of the dead ends and how quickly you find the wrong turns. The more novice the target audience for the maze, the shorter the dead ends should be.
Step 4 - Complete the Maze
Draw the final walls and draw the exit (if you are making your maze digitally). You have completed the drawing of a standard maze ! As I mentioned above, I reviewed the possible pathways as I was reaching the goal and chose the one that best fit what I wanted to achieve (in terms of difficulty). Just a quick note if you were hand drawing your maze the goal was already drawn in step 1.5. In this case you have the option to complete your maze by drawing from your exit goal to the mostly completed maze. Below I took an extra step to delete the background grid.
Step 5 (Optional) - Draw the Solution
You have two options here - Option 1 - While the correct pathway is fresh in your mind, draw the solution to the maze. This is especially important with more complex mazes. It can also be a check to make sure your maze has a solution. This example maze is easy. Option 2 - Let the maze sit for a few days and try solving it yourself. Was it the difficulty you thought as you were designing it ? Did you enjoy it or did it frustrate you in any way ? Using option 2 means you are more likely to go back and make adjustments to improve the maze. Think of it as proofreading for mazes.
HOW TO MAKE A MAZE WITH STANDARD MAZE PATHS - abbreviated writing & using a different shape
Here is the original step by step maze done in the shape of Ohio. Use the next controls to watch the maze get made, then see the solution.
Step 1 - Draw the Outline - I drew Ohio and added a start at Cleveland. I put an Arrow near Cincinnati but did not officially make that the goal until I draw the maze.
Steps 2&3 - Drawing the Maze - Nothing too special. I drew in the maze from start to finish.
Step 4 - Complete the Maze - The maze determined where the goal would be placed and I finished the maze.
Step 5 - Draw the Solution - I added a solution, ensuring I made no mistakes in my design.
4 ADDITIONAL EXAMPLES OF STANDARD MAZES
The Cheeseburger maze happens to be in full color and uses a smaller scale (the grid is 10x10 with walls at a 1.5 width) but it is a standard maze. Difficulty is medium because the pathways that are false tend to be longer then normal, so if you take a wrong turn early there may be a delay until you realize it with a longer backtrack to get on the correct path.
The standard maze is the default for most maze makers because it works well with just about any subject you are making a maze of. Like this full-color Pug maze. A medium difficulty maze. Was made on 16x16 grid with wall widths of 2.5
In the first two examples you can see how this maze construction works with irregular shapes. Now let’s look at how it works on more structured shapes like rectangles. The Zipper maze below, and there are not many zipper mazes out there, has a very rectangular structure that naturally fits with the grid pattern. Yes there are some rounded corners but they are easy to navigate as a designer ! I think you can tell by the scale this is a 4x4 grid with walls of 1.2.
Next we have another maze a natural fit for a standard maze because of it’s shape, the Barn maze. The entire lower portion fits perfectly with the grid. It was made on a 4x4 grid with walls of 1. I think this maze is medium hard, and definitely not for kids. One of the main reasons I included this maze was because of a specific detail I like. Do you know what it is ? It is the rooster on the roof. I like adding little details, even if they do not effect the solve of the maze.
START AND GOAL OPTIONS
I want to take the time to show you some of the many options you have for starting and ending the maze. I did not use any labels above, but arrows are pretty standard. You have other options as I outline in Options for Starting and Ending a Maze. Here is the above maze but using 5 different choices to for the start and goal. You have options !
FREE STANDARD MAZES TO SOLVE
If you want to solve some of this type of maze, check out the Regular Maze Section that features 40 different mazes available for free download ! They are all rectangular but are divided into sections by difficulty level.
STANDARD MAZE TEMPLATES
If you want to try making a standard maze with a bit of help, try one of these downloadable templates. Just add lines between dots to create the maze walls !
RELATED MAZE CONSTRUCTIONS
There are 3 constructions that are very similar to a standard maze construction. The standard equal has thicker pathways, while the horizontal and vertical maze constructions are the same as above but exaggerate the maze design in a particular direction (so the maze looks horizontal or vertical). I will link to each of their how-to posts once they are updated !
How to Make a Maze with Standard Equal Maze Paths
How to Make a Horizontal Maze
How to Make a Vertical Maze
Interested in learning how to make or draw other types of digital mazes ? I have step by step instructions on how to make over 40 different maze types HERE.
If you prefer making labyrinths, you can find step by step instructions HERE.
It is that time again. Time for maze and labyrinth news from the past month. We start with news from this website.
US Labyrinth Visits Updated
I completed by long research project on labyrinths in the US that culminated in my blog post Questions about US Labyrinths Answered. I also spent a month and a half updating every states recommended labyrinth visits. Each post got new data and updated links/photos when available. If you want to visit a nearby labyrinth, check out the US Labyrinth Visits page to find some in your state ! for example, Colorado now includes the Santuario de los Pobladores labyrinth that you should read about here.
Another Maze inspired movie poster
I found this poster when I did my half year check on one of my favorite websites - Impawards, which specializes in movie posters. This particular movie is not a maze movie, but it is almost a maze movie. Either way, here is a poster for Escape Room (2019), not to be mistaken for Escape Room (2017) which is a maze movie. And if you want to go down a rabbit hole on escape movies read my Escape Room (2017) Movie Review which discusses many more movies with similar titles.
A Large Gorilla Maze to celebrate a big birthday !
The Wistow Maze in Leicestershire of the UK was transformed to show a Giant Gorilla to celebrate the 100th birthday of Sir David Attenborough. Plan a trip on their official site.
Martha Stewart designed a hedge maze
If anyone ever says anything bad about Martha Stewart, punch them in the mouth. They deserve it. I loved reading this article about her design of a hedge maze on her estate. The pictures make this article worth a look / read ! I was also able to find a short video of Martha riding a horse in the maze during the early planting stages of it.
Mind The Maze app (London Underground)
I was a big fan of the tube during my London visit. At the time I was not doing this website, but I do remember seeing labyrinth artwork in the stations. I have mentioned it before, in 2013 an artist named Mark Wallinger created a different labyrinth for each station, 272 in total. Now, there is an app you can download to track your viewing of them as mentioned in this article ! Check out the website.
The Tate Modern Maze exhibit
And you thought we were done with London ! The Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall is featuring a maze to walk thru until the end of August. Made with wooden barriers it is for the guests to experience ! Coll pics can be seen in this article.
The largest evergreen maze in the continental US
Shamrock Christmas Tree Farm in Mattituck, NY has announced that this Fall (scheduled to open on September 26) they will be opening a 2.3 acre maze on their farm. The only larger maze in the US is the Dole Pineapple Maze in Hawaii. The drone view of the maze from this article is excellent ! I do not have maze data, but I do have extensive labyrinth data from the US: Questions about US Labyrinths Answered.
Maze Design Error
Saw this image on LinkedIn with a note blaming AI for the bad design. Not sure who should get the blame, but this is definitely poor maze design.
Some news is evergreen and can be found in past monthly news posts:
June 2025, July 2025, August 2025, September 2025, October 2025, November 2025, December 2025, January 2026, February 2026, March 2026, April 2026, May 2026, June 2026 and July 2026.
