Chetwynd family invites community to haunted forest

CHETWYND, B.C. — A family living on the outskirts of Chetwynd has a spectacular spooky surprise for their community. 

Two years ago, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Jordan and Melissa Lalonde weren’t sure if their daughter would be able to go trick-or-treating with her friends, so they decided to create a haunted forest in their backyard. 

“We had these trails that we built in our backyard for my daughter, for quadding, and we decided that we would open it up, put up lights and hide candies for the kids in the neighbourhood,” said Melissa. 

“It was such a success that we did it again the next year.”

This year, the Lalondes are inviting the public to come and visit their haunted forest. 

So far, the haunted forest has had over 100 visitors. 

“Seeing everybody come out and enjoy themselves and have so much fun has been really rewarding for us,” said Melissa. 

“It’s grown to be something that we could never have even imagined.”

With an immaculate eye for detail, the Lalondes built and created almost everything in the forest themselves, with much of it inspired by classic Halloween films.

There’s a scary surprise around every corner, including a carnival, a cemetery, and a butcher shop.

The Lalonde family would like to welcome and invite the public to come and visit their haunted forest for a night full of fright.

The Lalonde family’s haunted forest is open from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday, located at 2856 Sawchuck Road, off Jackfish Road.

Admission is $10 per person, and children under the age of four are free. 

The last day to visit the haunted forest is October 30th.