Eerie shrieking, distressed cries, and the buzzing of chainsaws emanate from Mary S. Young State Park. Once a year, at the end of October, the park turns upside down with fright and terror. The Haunted Trail experience, which includes both the “Trail of Terror” and the “Enchanted Trail,” is West Linn’s annual Halloween celebration at Mary S. Young, and is notoriously filled with ghostly mischief and spooky secrets.

Adventurous souls on the Trail of Terror who decide to stray from light and safe shelter may meet their demise at the hands of ghouls and ghosts of the most horrifying manner. Or, for the faint of heart, the Enchanted Trail offers a less “spooky” experience, offering a slew of games and crafts in a sheltered area at the end.

The Haunted Trail will be open on Oct. 29 from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. The entrance fee will be priced at $7 per person for full access to both the Trail of Terror and the Enchanted Trail. For guests who wish only to attend the Enchanted Trail, the entrance fee is $4 per person. If guests would like to attend the Trail of Terror exclusively, they will only have to pay $5 for entrance. All attendees of the Trail of Terror will be required to be at least 13 years old.

The West Linn Teen Advisory Committee (TAC) has hosted activities such as the annual Haunted Trail ever since its inception in 2008. Along with other activities, the Haunted Trail has been created primarily with teens in mind and, as such, may be an opportunity for teens to celebrate Halloween in a socially engaging way. If anything else, the Haunted Trail will be a perfectly valid excuse for “older” attendees to shamelessly dress up in Halloween costumes.