Balboa Park hosts Haunted Trail from 17 October to 1 November
Published on 10/18/2026 at 02:16 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS
Balboa Park hosts the Haunted Trail of Balboa Park from 17 October to 1 November 2026 in San Diego, United States. The seasonal event combines a mile-long outdoor trail with a 3,500-square-foot eXperiment Maze and a Dark Carnival. It gives the park a separate evening programme while its museums, gardens and historic buildings remain the main daytime attractions.
Haunted Trail runs through Balboa Park from 17 October
The Haunted Trail is scheduled at Balboa Drive and Juniper Road. The San Diego Tourism Authority lists the run from 17 October through 1 November 2026, with 16 dates in the programme. The City of San Diego also lists the event on individual dates, including 21, 22, 23 and 24 October 2026.
The event's format has two linked sections. Visitors follow a mile-long trail through wooded areas before reaching the eXperiment Maze, described in the city listing as covering 3,500 square feet. The programme also includes the Dark Carnival, placing the named attractions at the edge of the park's developed cultural centre and its open landscape. The city event listing for October records the dates and the San Diego setting.
Spanish Colonial Revival buildings frame the wider park
Balboa Park covers more than 1,000 acres and contains 15 museums, gardens, international cultural organisations and the San Diego Zoo. The City of San Diego manages and maintains the park through its Developed Regional Parks Division. This broad mix of institutions explains why the Haunted Trail uses a defined area rather than representing the whole park after dark.
Many museums along El Prado occupy Spanish Colonial Revival buildings first constructed for the 1915-1916 Panama-California Exposition. The Cabrillo Bridge, cultural centre buildings and Spreckels Organ Pavilion belong to the park's exposition history. The park was set aside as a public park on 26 May 1868, when a 1,400-acre tract of nine city pueblo lots was designated for that purpose. The official park history and overview connects those dates with the cultural landscape visible today.
The trail follows the park's wooded Marston Point area
The published route is at Balboa Drive and Juniper Road, near the wooded Marston Point area. The trail's mile length and the maze's enclosed footprint distinguish the evening attraction from the park's regular museum visits and paved promenades. The event details and venue information identify San Diego as the location.
Visiting Balboa Park: what travellers from Western Europe should know
- The Haunted Trail is scheduled from 17 October to 1 November 2026 at Balboa Drive and Juniper Road in San Diego.
- The event uses a mile-long outdoor trail, the 3,500-square-foot eXperiment Maze and the Dark Carnival; these are the named attractions for the evening programme.
- Balboa Park is just minutes from downtown San Diego and includes museums, gardens, cultural institutions and the San Diego Zoo across its large urban parkland.
- The trail involves walking through wooded areas and covers a mile; the maze is a separate enclosed attraction within the programme.
- Entry requirements depend on your nationality; UK travellers can check the FCDO travel advice at gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice, Irish travellers the Department of Foreign Affairs at ireland.ie.
Searching for Balboa Park on social platforms
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Frequently asked questions about Balboa Park
When does the Haunted Trail take place at Balboa Park?
The Haunted Trail is scheduled from 17 October to 1 November 2026 at Balboa Drive and Juniper Road.
What is Balboa Park?
It is a large urban cultural park in San Diego with more than 1,000 acres, 15 museums, gardens, cultural organisations and the San Diego Zoo.
Where is Balboa Park and how do you get there?
The park is in San Diego, United States, and the Haunted Trail venue is at Balboa Drive and Juniper Road.
