Sherwood Haunted Forest is open for scares
Ghouls, goblins, witches and ghosts will be present on Halloween night as children dress in costume. A few USU students, however, wear their costumes nightly.
Brandon Shauffer, a senior majoring in design technology in theater, and his production company, the Lewis Baughn production (all university students), run the scares at the Sherwood Hills Haunted Forest.
“It’s a really good activity for dates, families and friends to have a good time watching each other get scared,” Shauffer said.
Julie Whitaker, marketing and sales representative of the Best Western located near the forest, said, “It’s a tradition of a lot of families. There are a lot of regulars.”
Shauffer and his production crew have spent many years designing scares and have run seven haunted houses.
“We have a lot of experience behind us,” Shauffer said.
There are 50 members in the crew, 15 of which are actors. It took two and one-half weeks to set everything up in the forest.
“My favorite part is watching the girls scream,” Shauffer said. “It’s so much fun every night because we always have good screamers.”
Stephen Pelletier, a patron of the forest, said, “They got me not only once, but twice. There are so many different characters, you don’t know which ones are alive and which ones are not.”
The Haunted Forest is located deep in the mountains on the Sherwood Hills property.
“It’s nice because it’s so far up in the mountains – it adds to the scare,” Whitaker said.
“The thrill of the forest is my favorite part,” she said. “When you’re out in the forest, there is no protection. It’s not like a haunted house when you’re protected by walls. In the forest, if you get off the path, who knows where you’ll end up.”
Besides attracting community members for a Halloween scare, the Haunted Forest is also helping recruit people to the rest of the property.
“This is something we’re using to get people to go to Sherwood Hills. It’s a beautiful location with amazing spaces,” Shauffer said.
Although there are other haunted houses and forests in the state, the Sherwood Hills Haunted Forest is the largest and closest for locals to spend the holiday.
The forest is in Sardine Canyon, about 15 miles south of Logan, and is open for thrills until Nov. 2. It is open Monday through Thursday 7:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Saturday 7:30 p.m. to midnight. The cost is $8 per person. Patrons can receive $1 off by bringing in one can of food to be donated to the Cache Valley Food Pantry.
-klm@cc.usu.edu