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Thomas Dambo’s giant trolls that have been scattered throughout the Pacific Northwest feel so at home here that is a surprise that have only been here since 2023. Dambo built 6 artfully crafted giant trolls made from recycled wood and hid them along trails, in parks and near museums. In the two years that we have lived in the Seattle area, we have gone to visit each of the trolls numerous times. They each are unique with their own personalities and help encourage people to explore parts of the PNW that they might not normally. In this guide, I am also including the Fremont Troll in Seattle, which has been around for many years prior to the Dambo trolls and captivating in its own right. This guide will go through how to find the trolls, great places to visit near each of the trolls to extend your outing, and tips on visiting with kids.

How Many Trolls are there in the Pacific NorthWest?

Thomas Dambo, a danish artist, built 6 different wooden trolls through Western Washington and Portland in 2023. The OG Troll, the Fremont Troll, is found under the Aurora Bridge in Seattle in the Fremont neighborhood. This troll has been there since 1990 in an effort to add art to this area under the bridge. In total, we are going to talk about these 7 trolls.

Pacific Northwest Troll Map

A sure tell to know if you are in the right place is a post of colorful birdhouses. Thomas Dambo puts this outside of all of his trolls. It is typically found in the parking lot or at the start of the trail to let you know that a troll is near. None of the trolls are truly “hidden” where it will take a while to find. They are all pretty out in the open and since they are so massive, you can see them from a while away. All of their locations are also noted on google maps or other map apps.

Can I visit all 5 of the Seattle Trolls in One day?

Can you? Technically yes. Should you? no. Even if you take out the Portland Troll, visiting just the 5 Seattle area trolls in one day would take you all day and would be a lot of time in your car. 2 of the trolls require a ferry to visit (so 4 total ferry trips and all of the waiting involved in that). The Issaquah troll, while in the Seattle area, can be quite far from the other trolls especially with traffic. If you have never visited Vashon Island or Bainbridge island, they are more than worthy of a full day of exploration with your visit to their troll.

You can however visit 2 in day. Here are some possible itineraries to visit more than one troll in a day:

Option 1: Visit Bruun Idun in Lincoln Park in West Seattle then get into your car and go on the ferry to Vashon Island from the Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal. Visit Oscar the Bird King and explore the rest of the Vashon Island.
Option 2: Take the Bainbridge Island ferry (with your car), explore Bainbridge Island in the morning, take the ferry back in the afternoon and then go to Ballard to visit Frankie Feetsplinters
Option 3: Start in Ballard visiting Frankie Feetsplinters, go to the Ballard locks or the Nordic Museum as well, then drive out to Issaquah and visit Jakob Two Trees and visit the Salmon Hatchery

Where should I stay?

If you are coming to the Pacific Northwest with one of your main goals being to see all 7 of the trolls, where should you stay? The obvious answer is Seattle. 3 of the 7 trolls are found in Seattle city limits. 2 more of the trolls can be accessed by ferries leaving from Seattle. Issaquah is just a 45 minute drive from Seattle depending on the traffic. That just leaves Portland’s troll which can be seen as a day trip or a longer weekend stay after visiting Seattle. Downtown Seattle is probably the most centrally located for seeing all of the trolls and has the highest concentration of hotels and accommodations. I’d recommend at least 4 days in Seattle. Portland is more than worthy of spending a night there as well to visit the other spots along with Ole Bolle.

BainBridge Island Troll: Pia the Peacekeeper

Pia the Peacekeeper is found on Bainbridge Island in Sakai Park. It is just a short walk from the parking lot on a wood chip path. Pia is sitting down with her hands open for you to go inside. She has curly short hair and a beautiful necklace. Thomas Dambo’s poem for her is:

Pretty pretty please, let’s keep the peace beneath the trees
Hold you in my hand I will remind you with a squeeze
Quiet little people cause your criers make me tired
Pia likes to play with people, people they keep quiet

There are a few parking spots right as you enter the park and some more as you drive a little bit into the park near the tennis courts. Parking can get busy during weekends and in the summer.

Sakai park is 1.5 miles from the Bainbridge Island Ferry terminal or about a mile from the main town of Winslow. If you are visiting Bainbridge without a car, it is definitely doable to walk to visit Pia. Just note that it is an uphill walk to Pia. If you are able, I do recommend visiting Bainbridge with a car. While we love the cute town of Winslow, which you can easily spend a half a day in or more, there is so much to see elsewhere in Bainbridge.

If you are visiting with kids, our two favorite parks are Battle Point Park and Fay Bainbridge Park. Battle Point Park has a ferry themed playground and is the home to the original pickleball courts. Fay Bainbridge Park is connected to the beach and has a cool pirate playground. If you want to do some hiking, I’d recommend Fort Ward Park. Rockaway Beach park is great for low tides or views of Seattle. The Japanese American Exclusion Memorial, I feel like, is a must see. Bloedel Reserve is also beautiful. For a unique spot, you can visit Halls Hill Lookout and Labyrinth. In the summer, there are also several farms where you can pick fresh fruit. We have picked the most delicious raspberries at Suyematsu Farms.

West Seattle Troll: Bruun Idun

West Seattle’s Troll is found in Lincoln Park, a gorgeous park right by the Puget Sound. This park is worth visiting for its beautiful views, beaches, wildlife, cool playgrounds, swimming pool in the summer, and nice walking trails - but the troll adds a touch of whimsy. Bruun Idun is the longest walk amongst the Pacific Northwest Trolls. Depending on which parking lot you park at and the trail you take, it can be between a 0.3 and 1 mile walk to the troll. The south parking lot (parking lot #2) has the shortest walk, on a completely paved trail, but this parking lot is small and can get full.

Bruun Idun is one of my favorite trolls and is holding a magical horn. She is found at the tip of the nose-shaped bluff looking out at the water and surrounded by forest at her back. We often find shells at her feet that visitors have brought her as gifts.

Thomas Dambo’s poem for her is:

In the night, there was a storm, there at the beach where she was born
And Idun felt a feeling wrong, and so she walked there in the dawn
And in a flute, the magic horn, a tune so passionate and strong
She played for them an orca song to ask them where they all had gone

If you want to spend more time in West Seattle, I’d recommend heading to Alki Beach. You can walk along the scenic beach that gives you views of Puget Sound with the ferries going back and forth to Bainbridge Island and beautiful views of downtown Seattle. It is not uncommon to see whales from Alki Beach or Lincoln Park. You can also visit Alki Point Lighthouse on summer weekends. There are several great restaurants to try in West Seattle and a farmer’s market on Sundays.

Lincoln Park is also right next to the Fauntleroy ferry terminal that will take you to Vashon Island where another troll lives. You can combine these two trolls and visit both in one day.

Vashon Island Troll: Oscar the Bird King

Oscar the Bird King is the largest of the Pacific Northwest Trolls and I would venture to guess one of the least visited. He is known to be the protector of the forest and definitely looks quite regal, if not a bit menacing. He is a bit more remote than some of the other trolls. He is found on Vashon Island at Point Robinson Park, just a short walk from the parking lot.

Thomas Dambo’s poem for him is:

He swam here from the island, where his momma once had birthed him
He walked across the mountains till his giant feet was hurting
He spoke a crow and little girl, the Orca he heard him sing
He used to be a little troll, now Oscar is The Bird King

Point Robinson Park is beautiful and definitely worth checking out once you’ve seen Oscar. If you walk a bit further down the trail, you will find a beautiful rocky beach full of logs and a modest sized lighthouse. The lighthouse is open to the public for tours on Sundays in the summer around mid-day. You can often see whales or more commonly, seals from the beach - and likely people kayaking right off the shore. On a clear day you can see Mount Rainier.

Elsewhere on Vashon Island, you can visit the farm stands or the wineries, go to the farmer’s market on Saturdays, visit one of the other parks on the island like Maury Island Marine Park, or walk down and shop the cute Main Street.

Ballard Troll: Frankie Feetsplinters

The second troll that lives in Seattle proper (along with Bruun Idun). Frankie is definitely not giving off intelligent vibes but he sure is fun. Contrasting with Oscar, Frankie is likely the most seen of the Pacific Northwest trolls. He can be seen from a busy street and is right at the entrance of the National Nordic Museum. Frankie has one of his feet standing on a bench breaking it with both of his hands with an open grip. If you can get yourself or your kids up there, you can get a photo of Frankie holding you in his hands.

Thomas Dambo’s poem for him is:

Frankie don’t like slimy fish, cause fishes are all so dumb
And Frankie don’t like little humans, humans are so dumb
Frankie don’t even like trolls, cause trolls are also dumb
But Frankie’s mouth’s the only one that says the word of dumb

The obvious next place to visit after seeing Frankie, is the National Nordic Museum right behind him. This is a beautiful and well-reviewed museum. You can get free extra to this museum on the first Thursday of the month. Close by is one of the top 5 most visited spots in Seattle - the Ballard Locks. I’d recommend parking in the Nordic Museum Parking lot, seeing Frankie and then walking the short walk to the Ballard (Hiram M. Cittenden) Locks and the Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Garden. Despite its popularity and crowded pathways at times, the Ballard Locks are very much worth a visit. In the summer you can walk the salmon swimming and jumping up stream, up the salmon ladder - as well as all of the seals outside trying to eat the salmon as they come in from the ocean. Watching boats go through the locks between the lake and Puget Sound level is also very interesting. Ballard is known for great food scene and breweries.

Issaquah Troll: Jakob Two Trees

Jakob was the first troll we visited after moving to Seattle, so he holds a special place for me. Jakob is the only troll made by Dambo to have a pony tail and what makes it even more special, is his hair band was made by the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe. He also wears a birdhouse necklace. As his name might suggest, he is found in between two trees with his hands wrapped around their trunks.

Jakob is found about 0.2 miles away from the parking lot, which is right outside the Issaquah Community Center. He is located just off of the Rainier trail, which if you are in the mood for a longer walk, runs 2.5 miles around the town.

Thomas Dambo’s poem for him is:

A thousand circle suns, not old
Time will stretch and loop and fold
So stop, breathe out, breathe in, behold
The trees have sung a story told

There is plenty to do in the town of Issaquah to take up the whole day. If you are visiting during Salmon season (August - November), a must-see place is the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery. You can watch salmon swimming up the ladder here, the pools of baby salmon, and salmon attempting to jump up the river before being diverted to the ladder. There is very informational video about the salmon and how they work to increase the salmon population here. Even if you don’t visit during salmon season, you can still visit the hatchery. In the winter, the salmon eggs grow to baby salmon. Then in the spring they are released into the creek. Elsewhere in Issaquah, the train depot Museum is also a great place to visit for any train-loving kids or adults.

Just a short drive from Issaquah, there is so many nature activities to explore. If you have old kids, you can hike up Poo Poo Point to watch the paraglider take off or up Tiger Mountain. You can visit Lake Sammamish State Park and play at the beach, on the water or at their large playground. Cougar Mountain Zoo has lots of big cats and other unique animals to see.

Portland Troll: Ole Bolle

My favorite troll of the six Dambo trolls and of course the farthest to get to from the others. Ole Bolle is found outside of Nordia House. The main reason why this troll is my favorite is the nordic buildings that surround it. It feels like you have stepped into a viking town and of course there is a large troll peeking inside one of the buildings. You can go inside the building and look up at Ole Bolle, who may or may not look like he wants to eat you.

Thomas Dambo’s poem for him is:

There's something in the air, that something makes my belly rumble
Something smells so strong, it hits me almost makes me stumble
Could it be the little people cooking something smelly
In the big red cookie jar, so I can put them in my belly

After visiting the troll, there is endless things to do in the greater Portland area. Some of our favorite spots to visit every time we are in Portland is Voodoo donuts and Powell’s City of Books. Portland also has one of the most beautiful Japanese Gardens I have visited outside of Japan.

Fremont Troll

I would be remiss in writing an article about the Pacific Northwest trolls and not include the “original” Fremont Troll. This troll is found in the Fremont neighborhood of Seattle. This troll is obviously quite different from the other 6, but shares their whimsy. The Fremont Troll was created in 1990 by a team of artists to fill this spot beneath the Aurora Bridge that was once a forgotten trash-filled space. It has been a community symbol and a popular attraction since then. This large troll is holding a real VW Beetle in his hands. Unlike the recycled wood of Dambo’s trolls, the Fremont Troll was constructed with rebar and concrete. This sculpture is huge at 18-feet tall. There is a stair case to the side for you to climb up his side and get a view of the troll from many different angles.

On the northwest side of the troll is Troll’s Knoll, which is a community green space and P-Patch. It is a cute spot to walk through after visiting the Fremont Troll. Similar to Ballard, the Fremont neighborhood of seattle, is also known for its great culinary scene and there are several restaurants within walking distance of the troll. If you are up for the walk or short drive, Gas Works Park is less than a mile from the Fremont Troll. This beautiful park offers up one of my favorite views of Seattle. It is also known for its unique old power plant structures that still remain in the park. The park is right on lake union and you can watch seaplanes taking off and landing, you can see several houseboats around the park and play on the playground.

The most challenging part of visiting the Fremont Troll usually is the parking. There is no dedicated parking lot, just neighborhood street parking that is usually full. You might get lucky finding a space if you circle around a few times or might just need to park a bit away and walk.

Tips & FAq

How hard is it to park and Is Parking Free?

Bainbridge Island Troll (Pia the Peacekeeper) - parking can be found in Sakai Park. It is free to park but the parking lot can get full on busy weekend days. It should be a short wait for a spot to free up.
West Seattle Troll (Bruun Idun) - parking can be found in either of the Lincoln Park parking lots. The south parking lot (parking lot #2) has a shorter walk to the troll but the lot is smaller. Parking is free in both lots and can be busy on weekend days, especially in the summer.
Issaquah Troll (Jakob Two Trees) - parking is free and can be found near the Issaquah Community Center and the Dog Park. We have never had issues finding a spot
Ballard Troll (Frankie Feetsplinters) - parking is paid and can be found in the lot behind the National Nordic Museum or along the nearby streets.
Vashon Island Troll (Oscar the Bird King) - parking is free and can be found in Point Robinson Park. The lot can get full during busy weekend days; extra parking can be found on the street outside the park’s entrance.
Portland Troll (Ole Bolle) - parking is free and can be found at Nordia House.
Fremont Troll - parking is free and can be found along the narrow residential streets around the troll. It can be hard to find parking and might take a few times circling around the area or a bit of a walk.

Are they stroller friendly?

The West Seattle, Issaquah, Ballard, and Fremont trolls are found right off of a paved path. The Bainbridge, Vashon Island, and Portland trolls are off of a short wood chip path. If you have a good stroller that can go on wood chips or other dirt paths, all of the trolls are stroller friendly.

How Long will the trolls be around for?

When the Trolls were installed, they were promised to remain in place by the cities they are in for at minimum three years. However, they will likely be around for much longer than that. It has been over 2 years now and they are still in great condition. They are made to be temporary and were made with recycled wood out in the elements so while they will not be around forever, I expected them to be around at least for another 5+ years. The trolls are much beloved and are worth the maintenance.

Are the Dambo Trolls free to visit?

Yes, other than the parking fees if you are parking at the Nordic Museum in Ballard, all of the trolls are completely free to visit. Even with the Portland Troll being at the Nordia House and the Ballard Troll being at the Nordic Museum - they are both found outside and you do not need to buy entry to the museum to see them. All of the other trolls are found in public parks.

Can Kids Climb on the Trolls?

While there are some elements of the trolls that are meant to be interacted with, climbing up the trolls is not allowed. You can go inside Pia the Peacekeeper’s hands. You can touch Bruun Idun’s hair and place gifts of shells on her feet. You can sit a child in Frankie Feetsplinters’ hands. You can go inside the house Ole Bolle is looking inside of and look up at it. Climbing it typically frowned upon to make sure it can last for many more years. You can climb to some extent on the Fremont Troll, or at least you can walk up it.

Are there Bathrooms near the Dambo Trolls?

Bainbridge Island Troll (Pia the Peacekeeper) - There are port-a-potties in the park.
West Seattle Troll (Bruun Idun) - There are bathrooms in Lincoln Park, with the closest being outside of the Colman Pool.
Issaquah Troll (Jakob Two Trees) - You can use the bathroom at the Issaquah Community Center when it is open.
Ballard Troll (Frankie Feetsplinters) - You could use the bathroom inside the national Nordic Museum if you are visiting there as well.
Vashon Island Troll (Oscar the Bird King) - There are port-a-potties in the park.
Portland Troll (Ole Bolle) - There are bathrooms available inside of the center when it is open.

Are the trolls open year around or all day?

Many of the trolls are found in parks which are open from dawn to dusk. If it is light outside, you can visit all of the trolls. They are all accessible year round.