Silverwood Theme Park version 5.0
Silverwood Theme Park version 5.0

Scarywood Haunted Nights 2024 Trip Planning Guide


Posted by Mike and Chris Pettey Updated on August 27, 2024
Category: Scarywood
Tags: Planning   Scarywood  

Halloween Haunts at theme parks have become a true staple in the industry. Almost every park has its own version, and Silverwood is no different. Once the leaves start to turn, and the days get shorter, Scarywood Theme Park looms ever closer in the distance. And folks, it’s hard to contain our excitement, because this is our favorite time of the year when it comes to our little park in northern Idaho. If you’ve been before, you’ll know what we’re talking about. If not, you NEED to get out there! In this post, we’ll take you through everything you need to know when planning a trip to Scarywood this year. (Updated August 27, 2024)

We’ve attended Scarywood Haunted Nights nearly every October since its inception, so we feel that we’ve had plenty of opportunities to get this event down to a fine art. The event has grown from the likes of a corn maze haunted house into a fully-fledged, award-winning experience. It has been so fun to watch the park change bit by bit over the years into what it is now.

In this guide, we’ll cover all the basics to get you started when planning a night at the event. For more info on the specific attractions at Scarywood, click here for our 2024 Scarywood Haunts and Attractions Guide. Also, if you’re interested in what our “perfect night” at the park looks like, check out our Scarywood 1 Night Itinerary.

Click on a link below or scroll down to view a section of this post!

When Should I Attend?

Who Should I Bring?

Dining

What Rides Should I Go On?

Other Tips

 

WHEN SHOULD I ATTEND?

This year’s Scarywood calendar is a bit different than in the past. The final weekend of September and the first weekend in October, the park is only open Friday and Saturday. Then, it reverts to Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays for the remaining three weekends of October. In addition, the park has added Sunday October 20th, and Saturday November 2nd as additional nights. Thursday hours are 7pm to 11pm, and Fridays, Saturdays, and the lone Sunday, it’s 7pm to 12am. If you’ve ever been to any other haunt, you’ll know what we’re about to say: the earlier you go, the better it will be. Crowds at these events always get worse the closer you get to Halloween, and it’s no different for Scarywood. Also, the crowds are increasingly worse the later into the week you get, as are the prices. We find Fridays to be the best sweet spot, as you still get the extra hour that you miss on Thursday, while avoiding the Saturday crowds. And that’s not to mention weather…obviously the later in the year, the colder it will be.

 

WHO SHOULD I BRING?

We can’t believe we have to say this, but despite warnings all over the park, we always see people every year bringing small children (even infants and toddlers) into the park. While no one will stop you, we’d advise heeding the warnings. This event is NOT for kids! The park recommends being at least 13, and depending on how your child reacts to scary stuff, that might even still be too young. Scenes in the park, even just in the scare zones on the walkways, have very disturbing, gory, bloody imagery. We love all that stuff, but we wouldn’t even think of bringing our little ones. Granted, we know it’s ultimately up to each parent to decide what’s best for their kids, but we would advise waiting until they’re a bit older to take ’em to Scarywood!

 

DINING

Scarywood doesn’t have as much in the way of food as you’ll find during the regular season. The Pizza place inside the magic theater is open, and can be a good option for grabbing a bite to eat before one of the Magic Shows. Lindy’s is also open, but doesn’t have the full summer menu. You’ll find some great snacks and treats throughout the various food carts in the park, but aside from that there isn’t much to write home about.

And that’s not a bad thing. If you want to get the most out of your Scarywood evening, you don’t want to be wasting time eating at a restaurant! Our advice: Go eat at Meltz Extreme Grilled Cheese in CDA before getting to the park, and then grab a caramel apple or funnel cake to get you through the night if you get hungry.

 

WHAT RIDES SHOULD I GO ON?

We attended Knott’s Scary Farm many years ago, well before Scarywood was ever a thing. During the day, the park was open and we got our fill of coasters in. We talked to several ride ops about what advice they’d offer for getting the most out of the Halloween Haunt that evening. Most of them said the same thing: skip the rides!! Same thing goes for Scarywood. You can go on the tilt-a-whirl any other day of the year. Ironically, it (and all the other rides) always seems to have unusually long lines, and we wonder “why”??? You’re paying for scare zones and haunted attractions, so heed our advice: skip the rides, and focus on the Halloween stuff! The ONE exception to this is Timber Terror Backwards. It only runs backwards during October, so you don’t want to miss out. It’s a blast! If you do find yourself with extra time at the end of your night, the other coasters are fun to ride in the dark as well.

 

OTHER TIPS

1. The weather can turn very quickly in northern Idaho in October. We’ve seen it all: strangely warm evenings, freezing cold nights, even rain. Watch the forecast, and plan/dress accordingly.

2. We mentioned this in our Silverwood guide, but for Scarywood it’s even more important – if you’re coming from out of town, stay in a hotel that’s as close to the park as possible. With the park open until midnight, you will not want to have a long drive back to Spokane or Kellogg to get to your room.

3. Get to the park early. Like, at least an hour before it opens. Yes, that means you’ll be standing outside the gate for a while, but trust us, it will be worth your while. Scarywood likes to tout that “there are too many frights to fit into one night”. But we have found that we have always been able to fit everything into one evening every single year. One of the keys to our success has been ensuring we are one of the first groups into the gate.

Overall we hope this guide gives you the info you need to plan your evening at Scarywood. Suffice to say, we feel it is well worth braving the weather, crowds, and of course, the scares! If you do a little bit of planning ahead of time, you’ll be ahead of the curve in ensuring a great time.

Written by Mike and Chris Pettey

Planning a trip to Scarywood? Be sure to check out our Scarywood Haunted Attractions and Rides Guide as well as our Scarywood 1-Night Itinerary posts to help you get the most out of your time in the park!

YOUR THOUGHTS?

If you liked this post and found it helpful, let us know and share it with your friends! Let us know how you'd plan your Scarywood trip differently. Feel free to share what tips you'd suggest to first-timers, and long-time visitors alike! Also, if you have a trip planning question that we didn't cover, leave a comment and we'll be sure to answer! Last but certainly not least, let us know what other topics you'd like to see covered.

4 Comments

  • Georgi says:

    This is a lot of helpful information, thanks! Iā€™m wondering if there is a typical time that Scarywood tickets become available to purchase online, or if Iā€™m just missing something. It says to pre-order, are we able to in August or only September/October? Thank you! I especially appreciate the advice on weather and early arrival. šŸ‘šŸ¼

  • Charlotte Rahn says:

    My son is commin up the first week in November is there any thing to do at that time?

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