March 13, 2025

Enter if you dare

Baxter Trail of Terror back Oct. 20 and 21, Oct. 27 and 28

By Jamee A. Pierson
An unlucky trail visitor was captured and in trouble at Baxter’s Trail of Terror. The trail is back starting Oct. 20 at Ashton Wildwood County Park.

An unlucky trail visitor was captured and in trouble at Baxter’s Trail of Terror. The trail is back starting Oct. 20 at Ashton Wildwood County Park.

For more than 10 years, the forests near Baxter have become a little spookier this time of year. The Trail of Terror sponsored by the Baxter Fun Days committee, is back at Ashton Wildwood County Park and plans to be more terrifying than ever.

“We try to do new scenes every year, but we definitely want them to be a surprise,” organizer Lindsay Black said.

You never know what will be around the next corner: a chainsaw wielding psycho or a haunting grim reaper ready to take you to the underworld. Make up and prosthetics have become a staple of the scenes and the work is magazine ready in it’ realistic nature.

“I love the makeup! It’s so fun to do really scary faces and be creative with it,” Black said. “I again love the community aspect and the fact that we all put on a really fun event for Central Iowa and showcase Baxter pride.”

Having gained attention from area haunted house bloggers, the trail has gained in popularity every year. Not the typical haunted house, then natural features of Ashton Wildwood County Park bring an extra aspect of fright not knowing where a scare could come from.

“It’s definitely become bigger, with more elaborate scenes,” Black said. “We started to get some attention from Des Moines bloggers and were rated one of the top ‘haunted houses’ in Iowa. That definitely gave us a boost in ticket sales, allowing us to make the scenes bigger and raise more money for Baxter Fun Days.”

Attendance has also grown, with the elements only playing a part in whether crowds flock to the trail.

“It’s been really good over the past few years,” Black said. “Of course, weather plays a big part in that being an outdoor event. We are hoping for perfect fall weather both weekends.”

The trail will welcome victims from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m. Oct. 20 and 21 and Oct. 27 and 28. It is $15 per person to get a good scare for the evening and take home some nightmares to go.

The trail is the efforts of the Baxter Fun Days Committee who work to make sure the annual community festival is memorable for each year.

“The Baxter Fun Days Committee does all the planning and setup, but it really is a community effort and brings all of Baxter together,” Black said. “One hundred percent of the funds are used to put on Baxter Fun Days events in July.”

For up-to-date information on the trail, visit Baxter Trail of Terror on Facebook, if you dare.