The Balboa Park Haunted Trail is here to stay, and it’s bigger and more realistic than ever, thanks to a growing population of zombies taking up residence in and around San Diego’s iconic park.
“Some call this a crisis, but we view it as an opportunity,” said a city spokesperson. “We see this as an all-volunteer troupe of shopping-cart pushing, zombie method-actors, turning the whole park into a 24/7, immersive zombie experience!”
The expanded trail is full of frightening and eerie surprises. For example, each park bench is now occupied by a creepy haunted soul, with a Big Gulp and some presumably stolen carry-on luggage. Most passers-by receive only a silent, cold, menacing stare, but should know to stay on guard for a random outburst of ghoulish shrieking.
“It bothered me at first, when a group of them started chasing me on my morning ride,” said local cyclist Will Balton. “But if you think of it as one, big, Haunted Trail, then it all becomes spooky fun!”
Building on the popularity of the original Haunted Trail’s signature “Ghoul Bus,” the park has added a gruesomely dilapidated fleet of Sketchy Haunted Zombie Camper Vans. Parked on the streets and parking lots throughout the area, the Zombie Vans feature windows blacked out by cardboard, adding to the spine-chilling mystery of the ghastly horrors within.
Visitors who enjoy the Balboa Park zombie experience, and are looking for more zombie chills and thrills, should make their way downtown to San Diego’s famous East Zombie Village.
