A zombie wanders out of the undergrowth on the Haunted Trail. Just one of many foul creatures, which visitors encountered at MacGregor Point Provincial Park’s annual event.

Hub Staff

There was something sinister in the air at MacGregor Point this past weekend as an eerie cloak fell over the Provincial Park with reports of spine chilling screams and horrifying creatures creeping through the trees.

The brave souls who dared to venture out to investigate found that the haunting sounds and unsightly creatures were all there in the name of fun and part of MacGregor Point Provincial Park’s annual Halloween event, Witches in the Woods and the Haunted Trail, which included campsite decorating, pumpkin carving, scavenger hunts, trick or treating and even some educational stations to teach about bats in the park.

The ever popular and growing Haunted Trail saw over 1,200 visitors this year, braving a dozen spooky stations that were scattered throughout the woods and finding themselves in the company of axe-wielding clowns, zombies, ghouls and a whole array of other frightening fiends that park staff and volunteers had set up for visitors to experience.

In addition to two evening trails on Friday and Saturday, October 14 and 15, which were aimed towards adults, a daytime version was also available for children to wander through with their families in less spooky circumstances.

Natural Heritage Education Leader at MacGregor Point Provincial Park, Matthew Cunliffe praised the volunteers. “Between the two days we have 34 volunteers,” he said. “This is a collaboration between a whole bunch of different departments at MacGregor Point with our maintenance duo leading the charge and they've done a fantastic job.”

Cunliffe explained that it was also a special weekend for the park staff because a lot of the seasonal staff were leaving that weekend. “You can tell everyone loves what they do because they all come together and volunteer their nights to do this,” he said.

The weekend activities included a request for visitors to bring along a non perishable food, resulting in a donation to the local food bank being made later this week. Although the total donated wasn't yet available, Cunliffe said he hoped to break 1,000 pounds this year, over the 815 pounds donated in 2015.

Cunliffe said that everyone who visited the park over the weekend seemed to enjoy themselves. “All in all, it was a successful weekend.”

A group of undead volunteers wandering on the Haunted Trail were once known as (left to right) Ben Crawford-Thompson, Grace Daneluk, Hannah Lynch and Paige Thorne.

Park staff member Jamie Aldworth was dressed to scare at MacGregor Point Provincial Park.

On the left, the stuff of nightmares, meeting an axe-wielding clown in a narrow tunnel. On the right, volunteer Ashley Brown screams out for visitors to help her from her shackles.

Not knowing what was lurking behind them (left to right) Nora Wade, Wendy Reid, Susan Murphy, Brian Murphy, Randy Wade and Shawn Reid; all had traveled from Owen Sound to experience MacGregor Point's spooky weekend.

Strange figures accompanied signs scattered around Saugeen Shores advertising MacGregor Point’s Haunted Trail October 14 and 15.

A creature rises from its coffin as it hears humans approaching its lair.