A youth summer camp in rural Alberta swaps canoes for creatures every October. Camp Warwa, which sprawls across 23 acres in Darwell, hosts Warwa Woods once a year — a haunted forest fundraiser that has grown into what organisers call their most ambitious production yet.

The premise changes each season, and this year's theme is The Lady of the Lake. The camp's writers have invented a backstory: a fishing village once stood where the woods now grow, and after failed harvests and sickness spread through the community, fear tipped into blame. A young woman, accused of witchcraft, was sacrificed to the lake. From there, the trail takes over.

For 2026, the event runs Friday, Oct. 23 through Sunday, Oct. 25, from 7 to 10 p.m. each night. Two big changes set it apart from previous years: there are now two immersive trails to walk instead of one, and the storytelling has been expanded. Before or after your walkthrough, you can warm up around the campfire with snacks and hot drinks, sold separately.

Tickets are on sale online now, and you'll need to create an account and pick a date and time slot before choosing your options. Individual tickets start at $22, a family booking covers up to four people for $77, and groups of up to 10 pay $175. For parties larger than 20, the camp asks you to email info@campwarwa.org to arrange it.

Here's the part that makes it worth the drive: every dollar raised goes into Camp Warwa's Friendship Fund, which subsidises summer camp spots for kids from low-income families. In summer, more than 6,000 young people pass through the camp. So the same woods that scare you in October help send kids there in July.

Warwa Woods suits a particular kind of traveller — the one who plans autumn trips around haunted houses, pumpkin festivals and anything with a fog machine. It's outdoors, so dress for a chilly Alberta night, and the ticket price is reasonable compared with big-city haunted attractions. It's also a good excuse to explore a quieter corner of the province: Darwell sits west of Edmonton, within easy reach of Lac Ste. Anne and the drive toward Jasper.

Book early. The event runs for just three nights, and small fundraiser haunts like this tend to fill their slots fast.