If you're in the mood to be chased around a park after dark, the Haunted Trail of Balboa Park is back for its 27th season. It's running daily from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. through November 1, with one exception: the Halloween night showing on October 31 goes later, from 6:30 to 11:55 p.m. You'll find it at the corner of Balboa Drive and Eighth Drive, also listed as Balboa Drive and Juniper Road, in the 92101 zip code.
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The night is built around two main attractions. First there's the eXperiment Maze, a 3,500-square-foot walk-through that changes from night to night, and then the mile-long Haunted Trail that winds through the gnarled oaks of historic Marston Point. The maze runs through a series of themed rooms: the Mutant Maze, where armor-clad cyberpunks hunt anything human; the Asylum, where chaos bleeds through every hallway; the Vortex, described as disorienting madness; the Magician's Acid Trip, an illusion of warped colors and impossible realities; the Killer Rabbit, a rabbit walking upright on blood-soaked feet; and the Crusher. The trail is longer and more varied, with the Ghoul Bus, the Clown, the Killbilly Family, the Old West Rage Zombies, the Chainsaw Cathedral, the Portal, Freddy's School Bus, the Clown Slums, the Putrefying Mansion, Nuke Town, and the Killbilly Smokehouse.
Both lead into the Dark Carnival, a scare zone returning for its second year. It's the one part that doesn't cost extra: you can wander through it after you've finished the attraction or while you're waiting for your group. It's packed with new sinister carnival games, interactive creatures, themed photo ops, local food trucks, and the BOOtique Gift Shop with new merchandise. If you're not ready to commit to a ticket, you can still hang out there.
Tickets are timed and date-specific, so you'll need to pick your slot in advance. Timed General Admission starts at $34.99, Fast Pass starts at $49.99, and there's a new VIP Blood Red Carpet experience at $99.99 that gets you front-of-line access, a glow necklace, a VIP lanyard, a professional group photo, a direct escort to the front of both the maze and the trail, and a goodie bag valued at over $45. If you're bringing a crowd, group discounts are available for 20 or more tickets bought in advance by email. One thing to keep in mind: the ticket booth closes 15 minutes before the listed closing time, so don't roll up at the last second.
A few practical notes before you go. The attraction is not recommended for children under 10, and pregnant women, infants, and children being carried aren't allowed in. It uses high-impact scares, strobe lights, fog juice, and water spraying, so it's not for anyone with heart conditions or seizure-prone conditions. If rain forces a closure, it'll be posted on social media. For what it is, the place has a bit of a reputation: it's made CNN's Top 5 BEST Haunted Attractions in America and was named one of the Top 5 best-value Halloween destinations in the U.S. by America Haunts. Whether that matters to you or not, it's one of the longer-running Halloween traditions in the city.
Published Date
21 October 2026
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