Why Your LA Halloween Week Needs to Include Haunted Hayride

Inside of Griffith Park’s creepy Old Zoo in Los Angeles, a pyramid of glowing jack o’ lanterns leads the way to an arched entryway covered by a thick cloud of white fog. Screams ring out. The roar of a chainsaw buzzes in the distance.

Our hearts started beating fast as we walked towards the smoky new Purgatory entrance. We took deep breaths…and as the smoky cloud cleared, we could see a ghoulish figure quickly approaching with a haunting growl.

Photo Credit: Scott Feinblatt

Welcome to Haunted Hayride – one of our favorite Halloween traditions in the city. It’s back and scarier than ever.

The ghoulish attraction has officially reopened inside of its Griffith Park home, and in celebration of its 10th anniversary, Thirteenth Floor Entertainment Group brought on a set of new thrills, adding in monsters – who will make you squeal – and other new features.

Photo Credit: Scott Feinblatt

So, what is it? What is it like? Here are the 6 things you need to know about Haunted Hayride:

1.The Haunted Hayride Lowdown: The hayride is only open through Halloween night. It is just as its name suggests – a hayride full of nightmarish things lurking in the dark. Attendees hop in a hay-covered wagon that is pulled by a tractor (there is a driver, but he – or it – never shows his face). As the ride moves through the grounds, several eerie scenes appear, like a red-lit church pew full of cloaked demons, a theater of psychopathic clowns from Through The Eyes Of A Child, and a monster chasing a woman with a chainsaw.

With each stop you start to know what’s coming…the monsters that appear to be stuck in the scenes, aren’t stuck at all…and they’re about to run right towards your wagon.

FAB Tip: If you can snag a seat in the middle, it will make the experience a little less scary. You can see the monsters coming, so they can’t do a surprise attack like they can if you’re sitting on the edge with your back to them.

Photo Credit: Brian John

2. The Hayride Is One of Three Attractions: The hayride is the main attraction, but there are two other equally creepy things to see : House of Shadows and Trick or Treat. In the House of Shadows, attendees stumble through a maze in a pitch black house as monsters lurking in the background start following them on their paths. In Trick or Treat, new monsters lurk around a haunted set of neighborhoods. Those who dare to enter, explore the neighborhoods by going door to door and knock to see the horrors that lie inside.

Photo Credit: Brian John

3. What’s New: The monsters…and they will scare the crap out of you (this photo was not planned, for example). They will run up to you out of nowhere, creep up behind you, and more. While we were waiting to get into the hayride in a fenced in area, a monster with a chainsaw hopped up on the fence and cranked it up. I almost had a heart attack.

Photo Credit: Scott Feinblatt

4. VIP or Platinum Tickets are Worth the Splurge: On the day we went to the park, the lines for the Haunted Hayride were so long that they wrapped around and spanned several feet (there must’ve been around 200 people waiting in line). With a VIP or Platinum wristband, you can skip those exhausting lines. VIP lines were short (we had VIP wristbands and only waited 10 mins max at the hayride compared to over an hour in the general admission line) and the Platinum entrance had no line at all.

VIP and Platinum tickets are $65 and $110, respectively. The platinum ticket also gives you access to the platinum parking lot, which is right by the entrance. General admission tickets are $50 for full park access or $40 for hayride only. Parking for those tix is down a hill, so you’ll have to walk a bit before you get to the entrance (Get tickets for all three levels, right here.)

Photo Credit: Scott Feinblatt

5. Yes, There’s Food: There is a Grub Shack where guests can order up sausages, popcorn, and more, but it’s cash only. An ATM is sitting right next to it, in case you forget to bring some with you.

Photo Credit: Scott Feinblatt

6. Leave Your Costumes at Home…Except on Halloween: We know it’s tempting, but you won’t be allowed on the grounds if you have on a costume unless it’s Halloween night. Even then, you can’t wear wigs or masks, or bring props.