The Haunted Trails attraction at Balboa Park comes back to terrify our San Diego community from September 22nd to October 31st. The trail contains two adventures; the experiment Maze containing terrifying childhood characters ready to scare its victims and the infamous outdoor trail. People experience the haunt of  famous horror characters inside surreal themed rooms and run away from the blaring chainsaw man. 

Overtime, The Haunted Trails of Balboa Park has risen in popularity and is conveniently local to some Preuss students. As a result, various students have already gone to the terrifying trails and give their insight on their experience. 

Kevin Guitierrez (24’) comments, “It was fun because it feels like you’re inside a scary movie since there were actors dressed as Jason and Micheal Myres. I enjoyed seeing my friends get scared and eating after since it’s at Balboa Park.”

Haunted Trails has always been known to bring out characters familiar to the public such as The Nun from The Conjuring movie Series and the Demogorgon, an alien type creature known in The Strangers Things series on Netflix. This makes the public enjoy their experience as they get scared by famous horror characters while spending a fun time with their loved ones. This attraction is one of the most popular and traditional Halloween events in San Diego, and ranked among the Top 5 Best Haunted Attractions in America according to CNN. The attraction’s popularity has caused this event to be prone to long lines every night.

Miguel Santiago (24’) states, “The one thing I would change is the long lines because we were waiting around forty minutes.  I recommend buying tickets online because they’re more expensive than last year.”

The attraction may fulfill its nightly capacity causing the ticket booth to close early, so buying tickets online is the better choice. General Admission tickets cost $32, which gives you access to both haunts in a 30 minute window. The  Scream Pass Admission costs $49, which is the same experience but with a significantly shorter line to wait. 

Overall, this year’s Haunted Trails would be a great time to invoke the Halloween spirit with family and friends. With free parking, convenient street vendors, and a night of scares, this is a must do activity in San Diego. 

Don’t wait any longer.  Haunted Trail’s leaves at the end of October, so make sure to make plans accordingly and enjoy a haunted night of terror.