You'll find it substantially north of Summerland in the isolated region known as Garnet Valley. Several kilometers along, you'll pull off the roller coaster known as Garnet Valley Road onto a one-lane dirt path called Wildhorse Road and continue driving up the hill into the darkness.
It's now that it begins to sink in. You're a very long way from civilization. Out here, no one can hear you scream.
And scream you might, especially if you've arrived after the sun disappears.
It's called "Haunted Hill," and it's run by the folks at Wildhorse Mountain Ranch. It asks you to take a stroll through a few of the 80 acres on the property -- up a few hills and into the bush, through a horse pasture and alongside some old buildings, fences, and structures.
As you walk, you come across a variety of terrors. Some are still objects, others are animated, and others still are alive. You see strange lights, you hear strange sounds, and you wade through clouds of smoke. At one point, you're pretty sure a masked lunatic with a working chainsaw gave chase.
We put better judgment aside and gave it a try Saturday evening, then chatted with Haunted Hill boss Carolin Sherman, dressed as a corpse bride, after it was over.
Turns out 2022 is the second go 'round for the attraction.
"We did one in 2020," she said, "and it was pretty fantastic. We just thought there wasn't a lot to do because of the pandemic, and this was perfect. We're all outdoor, and it was easy to control the crowds.
"Finally we got to do it again this year and we're hoping for this to be an annual thing."
One of Haunted Hill's big distinctions are the live actors. There's a dozen or more of them on the trail at any one time, and Sherman tells us they're mostly local students.
"Every night I have different volunteers," she said, "and they move around, so it varies all the time."
Each evening consists of two "levels." The first runs from 4 to 6 pm, before the sun has set, and is quite a bit more kid-friendly than the latter. Here, you can generally see the lay of the land and get a feel for what's directly ahead before you get there.
But it’s an entirely different spectacle after dark, between 6 and 10.
"I've lived here for almost 25 years," said Sherman, "and I walked the loop in the dark to try it our myself. I know this property and everything about it, and still it was definitely really scary. As soon as it gets dark, it gets freaky."
We believe her. Our journey was at twilight. We can only imagine what's its like when the security of light is completely extinguished.
Haunted Hill will run again today (Sunday).
Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for kids. Family packs (two adults, two kids) are $60, and group adult passes (five adults) are $100. All are available at the Wildhorse website here, eventbrite, or at the door at 25808 Wildhorse Rd.
Five dollars from each ticket sold is donated to the South Okanagan Children's Charity, which Sherman said, "buys medical equipment for those who can't afford it for their kids."
Happy Halloween.
