Getting lost is all part of the fun at the Dan-D Farm’s Corn Maze.

Corn stalks comprise the walls of the maze, located just east of I-35 in Ames.

“Everyone is going to get lost — that’s the point,” said Debra Kearney, operator of the maze in Ames and senior in agricultural education.

“We know where people get stuck, so it doesn’t take long to find them.”

The original corn maze, begun by Kearney’s father, Dan Dennison, is located on Highway 14 in Knoxville and is in the shape of Iowa’s state flag. The Ames maze is a tribute to the rivalry between Iowa State and the University of Iowa and features Herky and Cy dueling. A Utah designer produced the final design.

“Each year we attend a corn maze conference. We planned [our maze] in just six months,” Kearney said.

“It’s a lot of fun.”

To create the maze, the Kearneys counted out the rows of corn and created a grid system to map out the maze.

Spanning 17 acres, the maze is over three and a half miles long and takes between one to two hours to complete.

“If you take the most direct path you can finish in one hour,” Kearney said.

Beginning this weekend, the maze will feature the added challenge of being haunted, although Kearney said half the maze will remain unhaunted.

“Mostly students attend the haunted maze,” Kearney said.

The haunted maze will continue the football theme.

“Some people are scared just going through it in the dark,” Kearney said. “Others don’t want to be found.”

Kearney suggested attending when the moon is new to can help make the experience more frightening.

“The moon is our worst enemy during haunting,” Kearney said.

“People don’t realize how bright the moon really is.”

Dan-D’s Farm also features a corn cannon that shoots corn cobs at a Herky target. A corn box, similar to a sandbox but with corn, will also be available for visitors to play in.