People will walk where they want to. As smart and talented as many urban planners are, not all of them understand human psychology. The roads and streets they plan and pave aren’t always the most time-efficient way to get somewhere.
That’s where desire paths come in. They are trails made by natural foot traffic. Human beings create them step by step, trip by trip, by taking the shortest path from point A to point B. Our team has curated this list of photos of the most satisfying desire paths that might scratch an itch in your minds and feet that you didn’t know you had.
#1 Campus Bikers And Walkers Wear Down The Middle Of This Path So Much They Are Digging Up The Water Access Pipe
Image source: Arachnim06
#2 Desire Path At My College Won After Several Years
Image source: nucleareds
#3 Very Philosophical
Image source: [deleted]
Desire paths, aka desire lines, are formed when human beings or animals take the most efficient shortcuts to get where they need to go. In short, these trails are proof that living beings want to save time and energy. They are naturally incredibly efficiency-oriented.
However, not all urban planners, architects, and city builders are aware of this inclination. What they sketch in their blueprints and designs doesn’t always include citizens’ wants and needs for efficient movement. In short, city designs sometimes lack empathy because they are detached from the people actually living there.
It takes very little for a desire path to form! As few as 15 walks across a stretch of unpaved ground are enough to begin wearing in a visible trail.
#4 Slovakia (Allegedly)
Image source: OrbitalChiller
#5 A Desire Path In The Making. Update! This Could Have Been So Easily Avoided
Image source: Flight_316
#6 Desire Path Seen In Utrecht
Image source: -Carel-
Then, since a trail is already (ever so slightly) visible, it sends out an ‘invitation’ for more and more people to walk down it, thus becoming even more worn.
So, if you had even just a bit of patience, you could quickly and intentionally establish a few desire paths in your neighborhood. That being said, these trails are chosen because they’re the most efficient. Paths that aren’t as efficient get discarded for new ones that save time.
#7 Houston TX – Theatre Goers Desire A Path
Image source: Claireunderwood_
#8 You Can’t Stop Them
Image source: Ceramique_nl
#9 Brussels University
Image source: eating-pasta
Based on recent research, people tend to naturally turn left and walk in an anticlockwise direction. “If you simply ask someone to start walking, whether they are wandering around a museum, a supermarket, or even an empty room, it is surprisingly likely that they will drift counterclockwise,” says Dr Iñaki Echeverría-Huarte, at the University of Navarra in Spain.
“Each of us carries a small personal bias to turn slightly to one side, and when many people share a space, those tiny biases add up into a net counterclockwise rotation.” Dr Echeverría-Huarte notes.
“None of us is perfectly symmetrical, and the way each person’s brain gathers sensory information and coordinates it with the muscles seems to tip them gently to one side. I should be honest, though. We have tested several ideas and the bias stubbornly keeps showing up, so the exact mechanism is still an open question.”
#10 Yeah That Wasn’t Gonna Happen
Image source: Ok_Imagination_6130
#11 Kensington Gardens, London, UK
Image source: NorthernLegacy
#12 Desire Asphalt That Probably Cost Thousands Of Euros – Somewhere In Eastern Europe
Image source: InSearchOfTyrael
Walking has many benefits for your physical, mental, and even emotional well-being. For example, in a workplace context, it can even boost your creativity, improve your mood, reduce stress, strengthen positive relationships, and lighten the symptoms of burnout.
According to researcher, speaker, consultant, and teacher Jeffrey Davis, M.A., the author of Tracking Wonder: Reclaiming a Life of Meaning and Possibility in a World Obsessed with Productivity, integrating walking meetings into your work life can be a positive shift. However, where you walk matters as much (if not more) as you walk in the first place.
In a post on Psychology Today, he notes how green and quiet spaces lead to better results than walking indoors. “If possible, map out a few safe, nature-rich routes near your workplace. Even small parks or tree-lined sidewalks can provide the psychological relief needed to support creativity and connection,” he writes.
#13 Berlin
Image source: olutre
#14 The Most Unnecessary Desire Path
Image source: olr1997
#15 Don’t Know If It Counts As Desire Path, But It’s Because A Weekly Fruit Stand
Image source: DownDeep99
Meanwhile, low-intensity walking holds the most benefits for divergent thinking. That being said, you have to take your colleagues’ needs into consideration and be as clear and inclusive as possible.
“Not all employees may feel comfortable or safe taking a walk during work. Consider access and comfort levels such as mobility, weather, clothing, and personal safety. Offer options. When walking together, side-by-side conversation can reduce hierarchy and loosen the sense of pressure that sometimes comes with face-to-face meetings,” Davis notes.
#16 Wow! Does This Count? A Paved Desire Path In Tirana, Albania
Image source: KnifeKnut
#17 Ridiculously Slippery
Image source: BodybuilderTall4634
#18 LOL
Image source: ThisSiteSuckssss
Earlier, our team here at Bored Panda got in touch with the moderator team that keeps the ‘Desire Path’ online community running smoothly.
“Once people know they [desire paths] have a name, they start seeing them all over the place. It’s a ‘once you see, you can’t unsee’ scenario,” a moderator opened up to us during a previous interview.
#19 Urban Improvement In The Parkdale Area
Image source: ataeil
#20 Confusing Stairs ❌, Desire Path ✅
Image source: selfawarefeline
#21 An Intersection Of Desire Paths Seen In Mysuru Uni
Image source: kiranurs
“If you haven’t noticed a desire path before, look for worn-down grass made by people who step off the sidewalk and decide to take the shortcut instead. They’re not the designated, paved paths. They’re paths that are trod on the grass in between,” the moderator shared with us how we can all tell what counts as a desire path.
#22 A Steep Shortcut
Image source: FinnyFlamingo
#23 Small Desire Path From Apartments To Gas Station
Image source: whydoieventry69
#24 They Do What They Want
Image source: ODoyle37
According to the moderator, in Dutch, some people call desire paths ‘elephant paths.’ “I think the translation is Olifantenpaadje. Someone on the subreddit said they’re called Trampelpfad in German,” the mod told us. However, they noted that they’re not quite sure how common these terms actually are.
“When I originally joined the subreddit, it was about 3,000 subscribers deep. I’d seen someone mention it in a comment section, likely on a post of a desire path on /r/pics or a mention in r/AskReddit of these paths being paved following natural foot traffic on a college campus,” they said.
#25 Does A Cyclists’ Path Count T?
Image source: little-green-driod
#26 Oh Noooo, They Took The Desire From Us
Image source: phelippo50
#27 Loooong Desire Path
Image source: FourExplosiveBananas
“A user named SecularScience created the subreddit after someone posted a picture of a desire path on another subreddit, probably r/pics, and a commenter noted that they have a name! It [the online community] emerged out of curiosity,” the moderator told the Bored Panda team.
“When someone unknowingly posts a picture of a desire path, people tag the subreddit and the community grows,” they said, adding that the community grows through word of mouth.
#28 Desire Path Made Official
Image source: flymetothememes
#29 Lansing, Mi Area Rest Stop, Guess Lots Of People Have To B Line It To The Bathroom
Image source: mitchtheman72
#30 Sometimes You Gotta Hike To Class
Image source: Soccer8989
We want to hear your thoughts! Share your perspective in the comments section at the very bottom of this post. But before you do that, don’t forget to upvote your favorite photos.
Do you tend to avoid desire paths overall, or do you find a guilty sort of pleasure walking where there’s no pavement? What desire paths do you take on your way to work, school, or your local supermarket? Where have you recently traveled, and what was your experience like?
Join the conversation and tell us all about it.
#31 Sheltered Under The Rails
Image source: wozugel
#32 Alternate Network
Image source: Yarkm13
#33 Barely Worth The Effort…
Image source: JohnCooperCamp
#34 6 Desire Path At The Same Place In Berlin
Image source: Spipizz
#35 From Building Entrance To Staff Eating Room
Image source: ShooterMcLovin420
#36 I Desire To Cross This Tape
Image source: _aneurin
#37 A Desire To Pass The Creek
Image source: BadBroBobby
#38 Like, Obviously It Should Be There
Image source: Yarkm13
#39 Desirepath But It’s A Detour
Image source: schnitzeldoern
#40 Manchester, UK. A Strong Desire To Not Get There In A Straight Line
Image source: Fanta589
#41 The More Pointless, The Better!
Image source: SG133722
#42 Not Sure This One Is Worth It (Nottingham UK)
Image source: -azafran-
#43 My Apartment Complex Doesn’t Have An Easy Way To Get To The Bus
Image source: Tubonub
#44 Corner Lawn
Image source: pupupeepee
#45 Wollongong, Australia
Image source: Kitttycataclysmic
#46 A Triple!
Image source: stxxyy
#47 An Early Morning Desire Path
Image source: Lunar_Raccoon
#48 Newly Emerging
Image source: ggavocado
#49 Desire Path To Nowhere
Image source: poissont
#50 Desire Path At My University Persists Despite The Snow
Image source: Ok-Error2383
#51 Caution: Slippery When Wet
Image source: Akejdncjsjaj
#52 The Cones Tried And Failed
Image source: Shorts365
#53 *gasp* No More Zorro
Image source: bokboke
#54 Path Of Ice Shows Where People Used To Walk
Image source: StrategyExpensive969
#55 Look How They Massacred My Boy
Image source: DerpityDerparoo
#56 People Said No To This Speed Bump
Image source: stxxyy
#57 Red Harvester Ants Have Created A Desire Path In My Turf
Image source: ayo4playdoh
#58 Desire Stairs
Image source: InSearchOfTyrael
#59 Spotted From Above!
Image source: shamelessdicentra
#60 Not Taking The Stairs
Image source: KnifeKnut
#61 Outside My Doctor’s Office
Image source: GrizzlyBaird2112
#62 Desire Path Made Official
Image source: DownDeep99
#63 Who Would’ve Thought That People Have To Go To Zebra Crossings
Image source: Status_Procedure7312
#64 Hesperianpuisto. Helsinki, Finland
Image source: juksbox
#65 Short-Cutting The School Way
Image source: Notdazedbutalright
#66 Quite The Shortcut From The Official Path
Image source: MontePraMan
#67 Forms Every Time We Get A Wet Spell
Image source: BleachIF
#68 Dual Desire Path
Image source: NoICantShutUp
#69 Steep But Short
Image source: Fast_Dealer_6462
#70 I’ll Keep On Straight, Thank You
Image source: skizelo
#71 Well, There’s That
Image source: unnamellie
#72 Snow Revealing My Greatest Desires
Image source: Firebrill
#73 Cutting Corners
Image source: theradicalace
#74 Cultural Trail To The Bus Stop
Image source: indyginge
#75 Winter Desire Paths
Image source: AlinGb7
#76 2 In 1 Combo
Image source: suspectgunner
#77 Hidden Desires
Image source: WesternComicStrip
#78 The Path My Doggo Left Has Almost Completely Disappeared
Image source: PipaLucca
#79 Temporary Desire Path
Image source: Anonkiddojiji
#80 My Sister Spends So Much Time In Front Of Our Dog’s Grave That Her Footprints Are Imprinted On The Grass
Image source: commiting-sudoku
#81 Ghost Of A Desire Path
Image source: noopp
#82 Desire Path Seen In Rijswijk
Image source: -Carel-
#83 Big Desire
Image source: TripleTimBit
#84 May We All Find Someone To Desire Us As Much As Someone Desired This Path
Image source: theforestwalker
#85 The Desire Path Police Laid Down The Law Today
Image source: jprior11
#86 Made Official
Image source: Violent-gator-69
#87 No Winter Service
Image source: IggieBlackIce
#88 Apparently, It Could Have Been More Convenient
Image source: EssexGuyUpNorth
#89 The Grubhub Bots On My Campus Take The Same Routes So Often That Their Tire Marks Are Visible
Image source: Im_a_dum_bum
#90 Forbidden Desire Path ⛔️
Image source: alfiebunny
#91 The Opposite Of A Desire Path
Image source: MultiScootaloo
#92 In Russia, There Is A Belief That “If You Walk Under A Electric Power Line Pole, You Can Become Shorter.” What Beliefs Do You Have In Your Country?
Image source: andresnovman
#93 A Shortcut To The Alley (Gouda, Netherlands)
Image source: Telsion
#94 Somewhere In Slovakia
Image source: Ok-Donut-5686
#95 When The Crossing Ends There You Have No Other Choice
Image source: MiddleConstruction84
#96 An Attempt At Stopping A Desired Path
Image source: snap2
#97 Just Why
Image source: Puzzleheaded-Plum994
#98 Pavement Is Boring, Grassy Hill Is Fun
Image source: Vdlfan
#99 Long Range Desire Path
Image source: fps800
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