Halloween events and pumpkin patches to visit in Northern Ontario this fall
7 Minute Read
The season of crisp nights, haunted tales and glowing jack-o-lanterns is here. If you love autumn adventures, there are many fun Halloween experiences in Northern Ontario. From kid-friendly daytime pumpkin festivals to ghostly hikes that begin at nightfall, prepare to celebrate the spooky season.
Whether you live in Sudbury, Thunder Bay, North Bay, Parry Sound or somewhere in between, there are pumpkin patches and hauntingly fun events near you. Here are 11 things to do in Northern Ontario this fall that will trick (or treat) you into the Halloween spirit.
Pumpkinfest at Gammondale Farm
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Address: 426 McCluskey Dr., Slate River Valley, ON
Celebrate the magic of autumn at Gammondale Farm’s annual Pumpkinfest, located in a scenic valley at the base of Candy Mountain. Browse piles of pumpkins to pick your ideal porch decor and participate in over 20 themed attractions. Some of the activities include a pumpkin train, corn toss, monster forest maze, horse rides, farm hoppers and Canada’s largest pumpkin catapult. Feast on treats like hot dogs, caramel sundaes and mini donuts.
Visit on weekends from September 28 to October 27, including Thanksgiving Monday. Tickets are a special 30th anniversary price of $18 per person in 2024, with children under two years old free. Buy your tickets online in advance to ensure admission.
Blezard Valley Fields of Fear
Address: 2777 Main St., Greater Sudbury, ON
Dive right into the Halloween season at a premiere scream park hosting two haunted attractions and a fun zone full of activities. Enter The Hostel if you dare — this intense haunt is in a century-old schoolhouse. The Kooky Circus is a haunted funhouse full of frights and carnival mirrors. Will you find your way out?
Visit during a night market full of great vendors to browse on October 11, or bring your little ones to the scare fair family-friendly event on October 20, which includes a lights-on tour of the haunts. On October 27, there is a car show and a trunk or treat event.
Opening on October 11, 2024, you can visit on Friday through Sunday evenings until October 27 and on October 30. Admission is $15 per attraction or $25 for a haunt pass; reserve online for front-of-line ticket access. You can purchase game tokens and some concessions on-site.
Halloween at Dynamic Earth
Address: 122 Big Nickel Rd., Sudbury, ON
Halloween at Dynamic Earth is back. This October, you can experience Pumpkinferno, a path of over 7,000 beautifully carved pumpkins that look like twinkling art. There are over 19 themed pumpkin displays and a digital scavenger hunt game to enhance the glowing trail. Those who participate in the scavenger hunt will have a chance to win a grand prize this year.
This year, there are new activities to enjoy, including a Halloween Tattoo Station, Guess the Ghostly Smell workshop and Eerie Energy Experiments, where you can learn how to build electric circuits. Taste new flavours of insects at the Bug Bistro or grab some food at the Copper Cauldron and roast marshmallows by a campfire.
Experience Halloween at Dynamic Earth on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings from September 27 to October 27, 2024. Admission tickets are $15 per person or $13 for members. New this year, add an underground mine tour to your visit (don’t worry, it’s not scary).
Pumpkin Hunt and Haunted Forest
Address: Copeman Tree Farms, 66 Bloomfield Rd., Sundridge, ON
Bring the little ones to Copeman Tree Farms for the daytime Pumpkin Hunt, where they can find gourds. Each child receives a pie-sized pumpkin and can participate in painting it, along with cookie decorating, a maze, a train ride and wagon rides. Larger pumpkins for carving will be available to buy (cash only), as well as refreshments. The hunt takes place a few days during the fall – the 2024 dates have yet to be announced but will be posted online. Tickets were $15 for kids and $10 per adult, including a hot dog and drink, in 2023. Stay tuned for 2024 details.
For adults who prefer a good scare, the farm typically hosts a Haunted Forest night near the end of the month. The forest trail full of frights is on hold for 2024 due to limited volunteers, but if that changes, it will be updated on social media.
Haunted Hikes
Address: Hiawatha Highlands, Landslide Rd., Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Embark on an evening hike through a forest as dusk rolls in and the night sky begins to fade to black. You’ll follow a guide along the tree-lined trail as they narrate terrifying tales full of horrible characters and unexpected twists. The theme is switched up each year, and 2023 will be full of witchcraft, ancient rituals, and invoked spirits for Haunted Hikes: Séance. The hike is rated easy and lasts about an hour and a half.
These horrifying hiking tours full of spirits and echoing incantations occur Friday and Saturday nights throughout October, and tickets cost $30 (plus tax) per person. The price also includes a small snack.
The Great Pumpkin Hunt
Address: Kivi Park, 4472 Long Lake Rd., Greater Sudbury, ON
Embark on an epic Halloween hunt with over 100 pumpkins hidden around Kivi Park. Get dressed in your best costume and go on a scavenger hunt on October 26, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Scan the QR code at the trailhead and follow the hunt along the one-kilometre walking trail, taking photos with discovered items as you spot them. There are prizes at the end, and each family member gets to go home with one pumpkin. In addition to the regular orange gourds, five golden pumpkins will also be hidden, so if you find one, bring it to the main office for your prize, which is valued at $250.
As in past years, a festival village will be full of games and activities. Enjoy a s’more station, enter the costume contest, play chilling corn hole, listen to a tale by Storybook Lake, and more.
Haunted Heights Trail
Address: 1764 Kathleen St., Val Caron, ON
Experience a classic outdoor haunted trail where screaming is encouraged. What started as a fun way to spook family and friends has become a Halloween attraction for the community, full of creepy props and jump scares. Navigate the dark and scary surprises along this almost kilometre-long path. There are new props, actors and vibes for 2024.
Admission is $10 cash per person, or bring three non-perishable food donations for a $5 ticket. Hauntings take place starting at 8 p.m. on October 4, 5, 11, 17, 18, 19, 24, 25, 26 and 30, weather permitting. The spooky attraction is for those eight years old and up.
Mindemoya Haunted Trail
Address: Pioneer Museum, 2207 Hwy. 551, Mindemoya, ON
Keep your eyes peeled for ghouls and ghosts lurking behind nearby trees at the Phantoms of the Forest haunted trail for one night. The story says that a dark force has descended on the town, and it’s up to a brave group of residents to confront the darkness. This Halloween attraction is a classic haunted house-type experience full of jump scares, frightening light displays and sound effects.
The haunt occurs on October 26, 2024, and admission is $5 cash at the gate. Tickets are sold in half-hour time blocks from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., with the earliest two tours featuring some remaining daylight and, therefore, being less scary.
Craig Haven Farm And Gardens
Address: 826054 Sawmill Rd., Hudson Twp., New Liskeard, ON
Wander through a pumpkin patch, selecting from gourds of all sizes and colours at this fall farm. Hop on a wagon to ride along a two-kilometre bush trail festively decorated for Halloween, which stops at a giant sand hill where the little ones can climb on and play. There is also a corn maze, a playground, miniature goats, a fire pit and a café to buy refreshments.
Fall weekend activities open for the season on September 21 and run until October 27, 2024.
Pumpkin Festivities At Leisure Farms
Address: 744 Quesnel Rd., Sturgeon Falls, ON
Experience a quintessential fall day on the farm, exploring a pumpkin patch and enjoying outdoor activities. You can get chills in a haunted barn, jump on a bounce pillow, wander through a corn maze, roast marshmallows by a bonfire, take a tractor ride, and sling pumpkins from a cannon. Pick out a pie pumpkin to decorate and grab a cookie, all included with your entry ticket.
For those who dare, check out the Adult Fright Night on October 19, 2024, for some real scares. A $20 ticket includes entrance to a haunted corn maze and the haunted barn. Regular pumpkin festivities kick off on the last weekend of September and continue each weekend until the end of October. The admission fee for access to all activities is $22 per person, and tickets can be booked online.
Halloween Hoot
Address: 1350 King Rd., Thunder Bay, ON
Fort William Historical Park transforms into a Halloweentown each October, and this year, it’s hosting a daytime Halloween Hoot in lieu of the Haunted Fort Night Tours. Frolic through a family-friendly haunted event featuring a costume parade, trick or treating, monster mashing and other activities.
Geared towards families with kids ages five to 12, the event occurs on October 26 and 27, 2024. Enjoy spine-chilling stories, creepy crafts, a spooky scavenger hunt and more. Tickets are on sale now, costing $12 for adults, $10 for kids, and free for little ones five and younger.
Carry your CAA Membership no matter the season
CAA Members can save wherever they adventure, and Memberships start from just $30 a year. Enjoy discounts when dining out on your road trip or fill up the car and save 3 cents a litre on fuel. You can view the list of 126,000 partner locations worldwide online.
