Forest of Fear at Loyd Park, Grand Prairie

For two weekends each October, the park celebrates Halloween with campers decorating their campsites, often spending a week or more decorating and even erecting temporary buildings, dressing up and passing out candy to an endless line of trick-or-treaters that come in a parade of cars!

Visitors can either come for the day to trick-or-treat, or overnight camp and decorate their campsite. We’ve done both…and love it! Here’s some of my best tips…

Forest of Fear at Loyd Park in Grand Prairie — Photo by Veronika Townes

If you are just coming for the evening:

The lines can get crazy long, so come prepared with a bathroom break before you arrive at the park, pack drinks and snacks, and something to keep younger children occupied until you get in the park. You can also arrive early and let the kids play on the playground until dusk to begin the drive! Be prepared to for the drive to take 2-3 hours.

The campers definitely get scarier later in the evening, so go early with young children. Campsites also tend to run out of candy fairly quickly, so again go early. Once the candy is gone, they really just want to scare you!

It really does turn into a parade, so go ahead, have fun and decorate your car! We saw at least 40 jeeps come by, all decorated OVER THE TOP! It makes it more fun when everyone gets in the spirit!

If you are planning to camp:

Make your reservations EARLY, usually by December. I’ve lucked into cancellations in the past, so it’s always worth a try.

Campers are required to decorate, and some campsites really go all out. The best campsites don’t just decorate, they perform! Be ready to sit by the road, pass out candy, or take it up a notch and dress up and play a part!

Bring plenty of candy, you won’t believe how busy it is!