Voice of the Mid-Columbia | Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, Wash. |
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closeFriday, Oct. 30, 2009
GPS required to build 100-acre ATV corn maze
By Lisa Leitz, The South County Sun
If you'd like a vacation, but don't have much time, why not visit New York, Florida, Colorado, or any of the other 50 states?
After all, you can reach them by ATV on the west end of the Royal Slope.
Mike Brown is one of the masterminds behind a giant corn maze carved into the shape of the U.S. near the Columbia River in Grant County.
The labyrinth was built this fall in about 100 acres of corn in one of Brown's fields off Highway 243.
Chuck Yarbro Jr. is Brown's partner in the undertaking, which required the use of a maze designer and global positioning system.
Yarbro said the designer couldn't quite understand at first what they were planning. "He said, '100 acres of corn? We usually don't design bigger than three or four acres,' " he said. "We told him we were planning on it being a maze that people could ride ATVs through."
Yarbro said that Brown hadn't planned on turning the field into a maze when he planted this year, so making the trails required the use of a beater and GPS system. He said Steve Gilbert took about four days to make four miles of trails on the side of the hill.
As far as Yarbro knows, the ATV maze is the first of its kind.
And the maze definitely is challenging. "This looks familiar," Yarbro commented while skidding through a sharp turn (for the second time) somewhere in the Western United States with a reporter onboard.
Stunning views of the river and wildlife are part of the attraction of the maze, which sits partially on the hill overlooking the highway.
Brown and Yarbro plan to have a maze at the site again next year if they get a good response. "We just wanted to have a good family-friendly activity for people out here," Yarbro said.
People can bring their own ATVs or rent them on site starting at $50. It's open noon to midnight today and Saturday, with some extra Halloween thrills and chills. The last ATV will enter the maze at 10:30 p.m.
On Sunday, the maze is open noon to 5 p.m., with the last ATV entering at 3:45 p.m.
Admission is $30 to $35 per ATV. Reservations are appreciated if you plan to rent one.
For more information, go to their Facebook page at "ATV Corn Mase" or call 509-431-1585 or 509-760-3789.
From Interstate 90, take Exit 137 to Highway 26 south of Vantage Bridge. After one mile, turn right onto Highway 243 and drive one mile to the corn maze entrance.
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