LA Haunted Hayride: Does This Fall Tradition Still Haunt?
LA Haunted Hayride: Does This Fall Tradition Still Haunt?
An Honest Review
I was first introduced to the LA Haunted Hayride experience in 2021. My friends who are in the entertainment industry, look forward to this grand production on an annual basis and graciously invited us! Of course, we had to check it out - as I’m all about pumpkin spice lattes, fall leaves, and getting in that cozy spirit.
Their friends turned out to be a group of camera crew peeps who were die-hards production nerds; and knew all the tips and tricks to successfully navigate the Hayride experience.
Thus my first year was a 10 out of 10 as I was not expecting such an immersive, fun, and unexpectedly scary evening!! It put us in the perfect fall Halloween mood!
A few of my favorite things about LA’s Haunted Hayride Experience, is that it’s not just a hayride. It’s a whole freaking event, experience, fair and set-up which includes:
Fictionalized Townsquare (Midnight Falls!)
Immaculately spooky Western, old-skool town with lots of wooden elements, plenty of fog machines obscuring your view (so actors and jump out and frighten you!)
Full stage and a live band (I love live music)
Pumpkin patch creepiness (a wall of illuminated pumpkins!)
A food court with booths and food trucks! (mostly your basic fair food like hot dogs, fries, and fried goodness like fried oreos).
Several in-depth mazes, come prepared to jump out of your skin (in 2023, there were 4 mazes)
Note: I do not recommend the mazes for kids. I did see several adolescents and teenagers. If you go in a group like 10+ people, it’s less scary so probably manageable but I wouldn’t risk it just. Up to you though!
Great Halloween Photo Ops!
My favorites are the coffins, pumpkins, bales of hay, throne of horrors, giant skeletons, an illuminated tunnel entrance complete with hay!
My Favorite Photo Op, the wall of pumpkins! (Photo by L.Tran)
Tip 1: Beat the Crowds, Go Early
This year, word on the street is the whole event opens at 7 PM. So my friend and I arrived at 6 PM sharp at the parking lot, waiting for the shuttle (which took quite a while, probably because the event wasn’t open yet) and then were bused over. Then we waited in another line where people went through our bags and we walked through a metal detector. This is in addition to the door person scanning our ticket.
Crowds start to really pick up after sunset, so I recommend going as early as possible leaving plenty of time.
A shoutout to the event organizers - that the line moved significantly faster in 2023 than in 2021! In 2021, I was waiting in a line at least 1/2 a mile and it was moving very slowly. We were all in shock at how long the line was! In 2023, the line was only ~30 feet long so only a fraction of the earlier line lengths. Good job to them for improving and getting more people confirmed and in the event!
Tip 2: Definitely See The Haunted Mazes
Entrance to the HellBilly Maze! (Photo by L.Tran)
For adults, it’s not worth it just for the hayride; I 100% recommend doing the mazes (aka haunted houses) as well. The mazes are the scariest part, scarier than the hayride! People popping up left and right, and blood/gore storylines.
If you have children, I imagine it’s pretty good to do the town square, the food vendors, and the hayrides though! If you’re up late enough, they usually have a Halloween-themed music band. In 2023, they put on quite a performance with gags, jokes, and making up their own Halloween lyrics to well-known melodies.
LA is the city where everyone wants to be an actor, and be part of the film industry. So, yes I’m bragging— we have the best set, costume, makeup and eager talent. They are just dying to jump up and scare the living daylights out of you! People love working in haunted areas and we equally love going to be scared (within reason).
We Were Really Scared!
Merry-go-round of bones (another great photo op) (Photo by L.Tran)
Acting scary, before actually being scared!
My friend Megan and I were one of the first people in the park, so of course, we jumped into the first haunted maze! OK, I don’t know how to say this - but it was quite frankly the scariest haunted maze I’ve ever been to in my adult life! Note: I’ve never been to Universal Studio’s haunted event which I hear is terrifying. But my friend, who has experienced Universal Studios’ haunting attractions, agreed that this one is really up there.! We decided this haunted maze was especially terrifying because (1) we were the first people (aka fresh meat); (2) there were only two of us going through the maze; thus making us easy targets; and (3) the actors were really excited and eager to scare the living daylights out of the first visitors. So they were really laying it on thick!!
If you think I’m a wuss, let me be more specific. People in scary outfits and makeup were creepily following us for 9+ feet, actually touching me with their fake scythes, and groaning, moaning, howling and screaming at us! By the end of the maze, we were sprinting through, trying to escape. Additionally, there were significantly more actors in 2023 than 2021! And they were popping out of no-where, blind turns, hidden corners! You name it, and they were living your worst nightmare!
Overall, a huge shoutout the the actors who went above and beyond to frighten us! We left that first haunted maze in shock and sweating from the experience. I literally had tears in my eyes from the overwhelming amount of emotion! My friend was fanning herself for a good 5 minutes because her adrenaline was so high; we were sweating bullets! I type this laughingly, but truly - we were scared.
After that first one, we were not sure we could visit the remaining 3 mazes! So afraid we were of repeating this experience!
Ghostly tunnel entrance! (Photo by L.Tran)
Tip 3: Plan to Hang Out in the Town Square
Entrance to the HellBilly Haunted Maze
As an adult who loves Disneyland and Harry Potter, the town square of Midnight Falls is the perfect environment to be immersed in a haunted Americana town! The General Store is the gift shop. They had quite a number of well-designed t-shirts, hoodies, shorts and accessories which make it fun to shop and by memorabilia! As the years go by, they only add more-and-more items that have a punk, goth aesthetic so its pretty on-point!
Halloween Photo Ops (Photos by L.Tran)
I liked taking photos in front of the wall of pumpkins! Later in the night there was quite a line but when we first arrived it was easy-peasy to have the photo op to ourselves!
Throughout the park, there are many vignettes; perfect opportunities for photos including a radio tower, street sign posts, a giant monster, a merry-go-round of bone animals, and even a free photo booth! We were the first in the park, so 0 wait for this photo booth. We snapped photos and it emailed us the photos! Closer to 9 PM at night, the line was more than 100 people waiting for the photo booth! I was shocked! This year’s photo booth had a Game of Thrones chair that was repurposed with wicked ghouls holding menacing weapons! It served its creepy purpose just fine.
Monte Revolta and his Band of the Living Dead in the Town Square (Photo by L.Tran)
I love listening to the Halloween-themed band; they went on at 8 pm ish and a crowd of more than 70 people were gathered and truly enjoying themselves (snapping photos, recording, and bopping along)! In 2023, the band was Monte Revolta and his Band of the Living Dead ! The lead singer had several outfit changes, and there were ghostly, ghoulish back-up dancers that engaged with the crowd and made it way-more than just a band! I wouldn’t be surprised if the band prepared all year for this performance, they loved it too!
Photo booth fun at the Haunted Hayride
Tip 4: Plan for Parking
Leave 15-30 minutes for parking!
In 2023, the parking options were:
Pay for VIP - You get to park walking distance at the Merry-Go-Round and skip the wait and shuttle time
Free Parking - Parked a few miles away at the LA Zoo (there was plenty of parking) and take their free shuttle to the Hayride. We waited 10-15 minutes for the shuttle, and the ride was about 10 minutes. Walking is 45 minutes one-way so everyone takes the shuttle. There was also a VIP shuttle which was nicer, AC but since you’re only on it a few minutes - general admission is fine for us!
I noticed several people Uber/Lyft-ed to avoid the parking drama. Note, in 2021 there was no Zoo parking so the competition only got more cutthroat as the night went on! It was a blood bath out there!
Fried everything food stand; my friend ordered fried pickles! (Photo by L.Tran)
More Info!
How Long Were You There?
The first year I went, we were there 2-3 hours! The second year, we were a bit more efficient and faster, so finished everything in 3 hours but could have probably been done in 2 hours if we sped up.
Can I Only Do The Hayride?
If you only went for the hayride, I can imagine you only being here 1 hour which is a waste of time due to the time walking to / from the car, parking, the shuttle and the hassle. So I recommend you, at a minimum do the hayride, see the townsquare, walk around and take photos. In summary, I highly recommend you do more than the hayride!
What’s the Bathroom Situation?
Portapotties only! It’s a normal portapottie, not a nice one with flush/AC. It was literally a corner full of portapotties. Thus I recommend you use the restroom before you go to avoid them. My friend made use of the facilities and did not comment on the experience so hopefully, it was as expected and not frightening like the rest of the park (LOL).
What’s Your Favorite Part?
I love going with a larger group or a group of fun peeps so you can make fun of each other as you nearly crap your pants of fear, surprise, and delight! Seeing everyone’s reaction under pressure, while being scared, and surprised - is priceless! The reactions are part real, part hyped up, and part just for fun! You really never know - but I love it when my friends ham it up! I oddly feel closer to them for going through it together! #survivorbonding
Additional Links/Info
Check out their Yelp reviews, as I love reading people’s experiences
Official Website: LA Haunted Hayride
4730 Crystal Springs Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90027
About Linhda
Linhda loves being a tourist in her own city and sharing her 10+ years of Los Angeles knowledge with others!
She is an avid bike-to-work cyclist (aka commuter), and has recently taken up roller skating. If you have any LA questions drop her a line and/or say HELLO! She loves meeting new peeps. Cheers.
