The Haunted Trail of Balboa Park

I was visiting San Diego for the first time from 25 October to 1 November & going to the Haunted Trail was one of the things to do that was on my itinerary! I took my mom to the Haunted Trail and she’s kind of hard to scare but she was literally running away from the actors! We both had fun and the trail was really long, even if you don’t do the maze. But I recommend the combo package: maze & trail. Much more fun & scarier! I never been on a «haunted trail» before, I’ve only been in haunted houses but I absolutely loved this trail! When I go back home to Dallas, I will definitely look for haunted trails!

My boyfriend and I came here with some friends for the second time this year. We came on Halloween night and it was not that bad. Parking was good and the lines weren’t too rough (we did go about an hour before the attraction opened). It’s best to try and get tickets a head of time and to get there early. Our friends tried to go here earlier in the week and they said the lines were crazy.
I would recommend also purchasing the maze portion of the Haunted Trail. It makes the experience a lot funner in my opinion. If you purchase the maze portion you’ll be doing that right before you enter the Trails.
The lines here can become confusing because there are three different lines that can form just to enter through the gates (Elite package (willing to pay to not stand in line too long), pre-​paid people (not willing to pay extra to skip the longer line) and people needing to pay for tickets (unfortunate people waiting in line… forever)), but those running the attraction can be very helpful. When you get through the gates you’ll be going through different lines as well (those going to the maze and trail or those just doing the trail). You will have people trying to sell products (light up plastic horns, light up seizure making items, etc) while you’re waiting in line and you can also enjoy a horror flick that they have playing on a big screen.
If you do decide to go through the maze be prepared to get lost and have some characters freak you out! My boyfriend remembered a certain part of the maze and even though he knew what to watch out for, he still got scared by one of the characters. It’s a fun experience in a slightly enclosed maze.
The trail portion is slightly different between the two times we went, but both times were still entertaining. It’s not as scary on the trail as it is in the maze, only because you can spot the characters. There are certain spots where it can get tricky because the characters hide in plain sight right next to the props and they can trick you into believing they’re just another prop.
This place is well worth going to, especially if you go into the maze portion. Just remember to go early and buy your tickets online or any local store giving a bargain.

Security has a bad attitude. Overpriced, but if you do go buy VIP for $ 10 more in advance. They can run out of VIP passes.

My group of 8 came here for the very first time on Sunday 10÷25÷15 around 8pm.
The line to buy tickets was long, but if you already have tix, you can walk right in. We got a $ 5 off coupon at Wendy’s which isn’t redeemable online. The maze and trail cost us $ 20.
When you enter, you’re thrown into another line. There are animatronic beasts that will occasionally turn on and Zombieland playing on a big screen. One scare actor made his way through the line to scare people since it’s pretty dark and easy to miss him creeping up! Took us 30 mins to get to maze entrance.
The staff let us go separately from other groups. Since we’ve never ever been here, it was super fun and new and didn’t know what to expect! Lots of strobe lights, dark rooms, and corners for monsters to get you. We did get lost in the maze as well as other people which totally sucked because we ended up all grouped together. We tried spacing it out to separate ourselves from others, but it didn’t work! The maze took us about 12 minutes.
When the maze ends, you’re automatically in line for the haunted trail. They do space out the groups, but unfortunately random people had to join our group. The haunted trail was fun overall! There were a lot of unexpected hiding spots and surprises. Towards the end, we caught up with everyone that entered before us so it was a long, conga line that wasn’t scary anymore.
Part of our group consisted of young teen cousins and their friends. It was their first time attending a Halloween maze ever in life. I’m not sure if this was because we were with terrified girls who would grab us adults, run around us, and throw us around to block monsters. But our shoes and bottom of our pants were super dirty at the end of the night! You ARE on a trail so there’s dirt everywhere. It may be because they caused a sandstorm while getting scared, but just keep in mind! Lots of rocks ended up in all our shoes too. The trail took us about 24 mins to complete.
We accidentally parked in the museum area and had to walk almost a mile and across the bridge, so I cannot comment much on parking. It looked like mostly street parking.
Overall, had a blast with the group I came with! I had so much fun laughing, screaming, and being used as a human shield. We’re interested in going again next year so hopefully they change it up every year!

Horrible! The ticket line opened waaaaayyyy after they started letting people in, so getting there early was pointless! I will never ever go there again!

Ive been here before a few years ago. I think it was scarier last time. I did scream a few times but i feel they should of put more actors one thing that did scare the living hell out of me tho was freddy. Lol but ive seen better so i wasnt blown out of the water. One of my favorites though is the maze. Such fun going around Nd around not knowing who or what is gonna pop out around n e corner. I enjoyed the trails tho. Maybe if i didn’t have my head down the whole time it would of been more fun. If there’s no parking in the main parking. Bust a bitch and take a right then a quick left about 100feet away. $ 3 parking for 2 hours. Awesome!!! lets save $ppl

OMG this place was great!!! Previously I won 4 free tickets for this place, and came w/​my co-​workers for the trail, we paid $ 5 ea extra just for the maze, this was a great deal, regular price $ 25.
This place got my heart pumpin, did not now what to expect, some places were creepy, and wayyyyy to dark, and the actors were amazing, costumes, make up, everything was spot on.
Definitely I will come back and get scared more.

Five stars for the clowns in the Experiment maze! I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared in my life! Not to mention we couldn’t find our way out of the darn maze so we were literally terrorized by these guys. They were great. The trail wasn’t as scary as the maze but it was still really awesome!!!

It was interesting and relatively fun for a date. My big caution is that if you don’t enjoy being scared, don’t let anyone talk you into going. I went with my boyfriend and yes, it is sort of romantic to clutch his hand in terror while we power walked through the trail, but the actors could tell that I was way more frightened and zeroed in on me. If being scared isn’t fun for you, be smart about it and don’t seek the fear. That being said, I never take my own advice, so what’s better than throwing caution to the wind and seeing how scared you can be!

Cool concept — a haunted maze through Balboa Park. Great costumes and scenery. But eh, in terms of scariness. The people jumped out at expected times and tended to make a little noise before they approached. Maybe to make it not so scary for kids. Also, you walk on mulch so slippery ballet flats probably weren’t the best idea. On the night I went, it was super warm and humid walking too — just a warning to plan accordingly. But a fun date idea nevertheless.

Definitely a kid/​family attraction. Waste of money and time. Don’t go on a Saturday because you’ll be in line for 2+ hours only to go through a 10 minute «haunted trail». Not my cup of tea.

Pretty good scares, awesome props. Good maze. Did package A which was the experiment and the maze. Was about 45 minutes for me and my friend

The Haunted Trails have definitely stepped up their game since I have last been here 8 years ago! The props are so cool & detailed & the actors are impressive!
I bought my boyfriend’s & my tickets online for $ 25/​each which included the Maze (new since my last time here) & the Trails. We came on a Saturday night & planned to meet with our group at 830p. The wait to actually go in took about an hour which went by fast because of the entertainment: they were playing Zombieland on a big screen, there were actors going through the line which was hilarious, & Hi Chew was giving out one sample (& I mean just one) of their candy. There is a snack stand at the beginning that serves beverages, chips, & candy — Cash only!
The prop areas were awesome & fun, especially the bus! I will not spoil the rest so buy your ticket & enjoy!

I personally thought this was weak. Not worth the money. There was one creepy area the bus. If you want to actually be scared go to Savage House in Mission Valley. If your under twelve or looking for a family haunted house that is for kids under twelve then go to Balboa you will enjoy. I will say the creativity and thought process making this was good just not very scary. I know for my kids they will like it and find it scary

This was a complete waste of my time and money. I drove 30 minutes to get here, and took an extra 20 trying to find it. The line was so long, so I payed for an upgrade to the front of the line. Not worth it. This place is terrible, not scary at all, not fun, very short, and an extreme rip off. ⁰⁄₁₀ recommend. spend your time elsewhere.

it was REALLY fun! We went on opening weekend and had a blast. It wasn’t too crowded, so we received a lot of «attention» from the trail & maze staff.
The best option was to participate in both the haunted trail & the maze since it is only a $ 6.00 price difference & well worth it.
As an adult, I was scared & startled plenty. I don’t really think kids 10 & younger would enjoy it much. People do jump out at you, scream & «get in your face» but they were very respectful to know when it was «enough» or to know if 1 person was more scared than others in the group, they would lay off them for a bit.
Great make up, great costumes, spooky music, well worth the price!

Came here with my sorority for a group event and had a blast! I’m not a huge fan with scary stuff so I was a little hesitant going in but it turned out to be a great time. The line getting into the trails was super long but went by fairly fast. They did a good job or changing up the scene while in the trails. From scary clowns, to hospital settings to chainsaws they covered all the bases of scary scenarios. The actors in the trails did a good job or being scary while maintaining personal space.
Overall, it was a fun experience that I would definitely recommend!

Well, that was fun! Thanks Amanda for hooking it up with the tickets!
This place is a bit cheezy, but in a good way. Was I actually scared? Meh. Knowing the zombies and ghosts can’t actually eat you makes it easier to not be freaked out. But I do get startled easily so I definitely let out a few shrieks when characters jumped out from hidden spots.
The spookiest moment was when after leaving one section one of the actors followed without me knowing and blew down the back of my neck. That was freaky and definitely spooked me the most of everything. The Silent HIll section was pretty spooky too!
Standing in line was also hilarious! There were lots of groups of younger people that were all sauced up and ready to head through the trail so there was a lot great people watching in line. At one point one of the ghosts came through the line sneaking up on people so it added a little preview of what was to come.
The whole thing went pretty quickly so I’m not sure I could say it’s worth the posted price, IMO, but it was fun and it makes me want to check out the other haunted attractions!
Make it a night: The Tin Can is in walking distance and serves canned beer, banging food from Doods Foods and had live entertainment. We started there with a few drinks, headed to the trail and rounded out the night with a last beer to calm our nerves.

It’s gotten quite a bit better than 2 years ago when I last went! They got me a few times :) It seems a bit longer, too so it was pretty awesome. I do wish the line would move much faster though… it wasn’t too long but still took us about 30 mins to get through it into the trail.
Bonus for you zombie fans: HUGE graveyard section!

I thought this was so much fun! Went in a group of 4 and arrived around 9:30, and left around 11:30. The line was extremely long, but we were there on a Saturday night — be prepared to wait a long time if you’re coming on the weekend. $ 19/​person for the haunted trails, and would not recommend upgrading the few extra dollars to do the maze.
They let you go in groups of about 15 people, and the people in the front and back of the group get the most out of their money. Some of the actors are just okay, and when they talk it takes away from their scariness. There are quite a few different settings that you walk through, some of them better than others.
Part of the experience here is what you make it, if you go in looking to be scared and have a good time you definitely will!