Thunder Junction Spook-track-ular
Tuesday, October 27, 2026 – October 30, 2026 · All day
Thunder Junction All-Abilities Park
Halloween at an All-Abilities Park
For four evenings in the week before Halloween, St. George City turns Thunder Junction All-Abilities Park over to a Halloween event built around the park's train. There are themed carnival games, a costume contest, and a cake walk, and the whole thing runs after dark.
The reason to put this one on a family's list ahead of the county's other Halloween options is the park it happens in. Thunder Junction was designed from the start so that children with and without disabilities could use the same equipment rather than separate equipment — the city began the process in 2013 and opened the park in October 2016. The ground is soft matting rather than bark chips, and ramps reach the play structures instead of steps. The Halloween event inherits all of that: the game booths and the train are reachable by wheelchair, so a child who cannot use a hay-bale maze or a corn maze is not sitting the evening out.
The Train
The park's centerpiece is a quarter-scale train that runs a loop of roughly 2,700 feet, passing through a constructed sandstone tunnel, over an overpass, under an underpass, and past the park's erupting volcano. The park carries a dinosaur theme throughout, which is why the volcano is there.
Running that loop in the dark, decorated, is what the event is actually for. It is a gentle ride rather than a scare — this is aimed squarely at young children, and nothing on the route jumps out.
Buying In
One practical thing matters more than any other here: tickets are sold in advance only. Nothing is sold at the gate, the evenings sell out, and there are no refunds. Tickets go through St. George City Parks and Recreation, and the youngest children are admitted free.
Four consecutive evenings means there is some room to choose. The nights closest to Halloween itself go first.
Where It Is
Thunder Junction sits on Dixie Drive beside Tonaquint Nature Center, southwest of downtown in the Tonaquint area — a different part of town from the Red Hills, which is where visitors most often get the two city Halloween events confused. Parking is on site.
Who It Suits
Families with children young enough that a haunted attraction is out of the question, and in particular families who need an event that is genuinely accessible rather than nominally so. If you want a second Halloween outing in the same week, the Scarecrow Walk at Red Hills Desert Garden runs most of October, is free, and needs no ticket — the two complement each other rather than competing, and neither will frighten anybody. Both sit on the family end of the county's things to do with kids.
Frequently asked questions
Can I buy tickets at the gate?
No. Tickets are sold in advance only through St. George City Parks and Recreation, nothing is sold at the entrance on the night, and there are no refunds. The evenings sell out, and people are turned away at the gate every year for this reason. Buy before you go.
Is the event accessible for a child using a wheelchair?
Yes, and more thoroughly than most Halloween events. Thunder Junction was built specifically so children with and without disabilities could use the same equipment — soft matting instead of bark, ramps instead of steps — and the Halloween event keeps to that: the train and the carnival game booths are reachable by wheelchair.
Is it frightening?
No. It is aimed at young children. The train runs its normal loop decorated and after dark, the games are themed carnival games, and there are no actors or scare elements. Families wanting an actual haunted attraction should look at Field of Screams at Staheli Family Farm instead.
Does the train run outside of Halloween?
Yes. It is a permanent feature of the park and runs on its own schedule through much of the year, with its own fare. The Halloween event is the version that runs after dark and decorated, which is the part you cannot get on an ordinary visit. If your children mainly want the ride, an off-season weekend afternoon gets it without a sold-out ticket.
How many nights does it run?
Four consecutive evenings in the week before Halloween. Because it is four nights rather than one, there is usually a choice available if you book early — the nights closest to Halloween itself sell out first.
Where exactly is Thunder Junction?
On Dixie Drive beside the Tonaquint Nature Center, southwest of downtown St. George. It is a separate site from Red Hills Desert Garden on Red Hills Parkway, which hosts the city's other family Halloween event — the two get mixed up regularly. Parking is on site.
Address
Thunder Junction All-Abilities ParkSt. George, UT 84770