TROLLS: A Field Study in the Pacific Northwest: A guide to exploring the 12 new Trolls in Washington
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Twelve new large wooden trolls have arrived in the Pacific Northwest by Danish artist Thomas Dambo. He previously installed 6 permanent trolls back in 2023 throughout the Pacific Northwest, which have been exceptionally popular. You can read more about how to visit them all here. These new trolls are a part of a touring troll expedition and will only be here from October 15, 2026 through January 24, 2027. Trolls: A Field Study is split between two different parks: Northwest Trek and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, both located south of Seattle. If you are a PNW local or visiting Seattle this fall or winter, I would highly recommend spending a day visiting these trolls and exploring these two fun parks worthwhile in their own right.
Trolls: A Field Study - Kirse Troll
What is Trolls: A Field Study
Thomas Dambo is a Danish artist who has over 150 large trolls made from recycled wood and materials throughout the world. They are spread across 20 different countries, on 5 continents. Most of these trolls are permanently installed. Trolls: A Field Study is a temporary and moving art installation of multiple trolls that stays only for a few months before going to a new location. It was previously in Palos Verdes, CA and Asheville, NC. The idea behind this installation is one troll, Taks, observed humans after wandering from the forest. He was perplexed by all of the strange things he saw and told his eleven siblings about it. Now all of them are trying to better understand human behavior through their own field study. There are 12 total trolls spread out throughout both Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium and Northwest Trek Wildlife Park. You will see some with nets trying to catch humans, some drawing pictures of humans, and some attempting to hide to watch humans - aka you! It is cute and playful and allows for a lot of fun interacting with the art.
These 12 trolls are on the smaller side compared to Thomas Dambo’s permanent trolls. However, having 12 (or 8 and 4) close together is a real treat.
Map of the names and locations of the 12 new Trolls at Northwest Trek and Point Defiance Zoo
Trolls: A Field Study - Lilnut Troll
Is it free?
No, unlike the original 6 PNW trolls, you will need to pay an admission fee to visit these 12 trolls. To see the trolls for the cheapest price, I would recommend purchasing your tickets online for whichever park you are going to visit first. Both places are priced at $25 for adults if bought online and $32 if buying at the front gate. At your first location, when you check in with your tickets, you can ask for a coupon for the other park. It will be a $10 off front gate admission coupon for the other park for up to 5 people for any day in the future. With this, in total, you will spend $25 + ($32 - $10) = $47.00/adult to see all of the trolls. For kids, tickets are priced at $17 online and $22 at the gate.
$47 does feel a bit steep to see only the trolls when there are already 6 available nearby for free, however, that price also gets you admission to both parks. We’ve visited both parks in the past and they are well worth the admission price on their own without the trolls.
Trolls: A Field Study - Valle Troll in Northwest Trek’s Free-Roaming Area
15 minute line in morning to check in at Northwest Trek
Can I visit all of the trolls in one day?
You can, but I would not recommend it for everyone. Current hours for Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is 9:00am to 3:30pm on Thursday - Monday. Northwest Trek is open from 9:30am - 3pm Thursday-Monday (with members being able to get in at 9am). This gives you a total of 6 hours to see both parks. After the 1 hour drive time between the parks, you have on average about 2.5 hours in each park. Can you see all of the trolls in that time? Yes. Can you see the best of what both zoos have to offer? Likely no.
I would only recommend trying to see all of them in one day if you are members of the zoo or visit one or both regularly. Or if you are only visiting for 24 hours and you really can’t split them up between two days.
We split it between 2 days. We were at Northwest Trek for 3.5 hours. Those hours included the 40 minute tram ride (which is needed to see one of the trolls), walking along the trails, watching the animals, playing at the play area and eating lunch. We were at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium for 2 hours. Those hours included walking along all of the paths, seeing the animals, a carousel ride, and listening to 1 keeper talk.
Northwest Trek’s Lynx
Hasse Troll
Could we have shortened our time at one or both and been able to see everything in the same day? Yes, we could have. However then you will likely feel like you need to rush and have the pressure of time always on your mind. Also with younger kids, it is a fair amount of walking for one day.
Where should I stay?
If you are visiting from out of town or if you are visiting from northern Seattle and want to enjoy a staycation, here is where I’d recommend staying. Tacoma, where Point Defiance Zoo is located, is a lovely moderately sized city with a lot more to see. Tacoma is the most obvious place to stay with the most options for accomodations. If you haven’t explored Tacoma much, I would recommend staying anywhere within the city.
Northwest Trek is also just 45 minutes from the entrance to Mount Rainier National Park’s Nisqually/Paradise entrance. If you are planning a late fall/winter visit to Mount Rainier, visiting the trolls can be a great addition to your trip. It is also just 30 minutes away from Elbe, which hosts a holiday train journey complete with Santa and Mrs. Claus, hot cocoa, cookies and a beautiful train ride. This is a great activity to do after your visit to Northwest Trek. You can then stay in Elbe and visit Tacoma’s Point Defiance Zoo before heading home the next day.
If you want a really unforgettable experience, you actually can stay on the Northwest Trek property in the free roaming animal area.
Wilde Troll
Wilde Troll
Which order would you recommend visiting them?
If you are splitting them between two days and visiting both in the morning/earlier in the day, it doesn’t matter which order you visit them. Whichever makes most sense for your and your itinerary. If you are visiting both in one day, I would recommend Northwest Trek first. Point Defiance Zoo is open earlier and later by 30 minutes each way. I would suggest visiting Northwest Trek first because there are timed Tram tickets that are only available at check in on the day you visit. If you are visiting on a busy day and arrive in the afternoon, there might not be any tram tickets left. I highly recommend riding the tram to see the free roaming animals on its own, but also one of the trolls can only be seen from the tram ride. Once you’ve visited Northwest Trek, then you have till 3:30pm to see Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium’s trolls.
Anja Troll near entrance to Northwest Trek
The Zoos
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
This AZA accredited Zoo and Wildlife park started as private land that was donated to Parks Tacoma to be a wildlife park and home to native Northwest animals. Both Northwest Trek and Point Defiance Zoo are owned by Parks Tacoma.
The highlight of Northwest Trek is a 435 acre free roaming area with forests, grassy meadows and wetlands and 7 different types of animals that call it home. You can see Mountain Goats, Roosevelt elk, Bison, Moose, Caribou, Black-Tailed Deer, and Bighorn Sheep. There are three different ways to access the free-roaming area, the tram tour, wild drive tour and the keeper adventure tour. The Tram tour is included in your admission. When you check in when arriving at the park, they will give you tickets and a time to go on the tram. Both Wild Drive and Keeper Adventure Tours are extra charged tours and require advanced reservations. We have always loved the tram tour. It takes about 40 minutes and they do an excellent job pointing out all of the wildlife. One of the best parts is the tram is completely covered and heated! This is especially great on a rainy or cold day.
Electric Trams at Northwest Trek with view of Valle
Roosevelt Elk on the Tram tour
The rest of the wildlife park you can explore on your own, in your own order. Nearby the tram tour station, there are natural trails that go through the forest if you want a feel for some of the beautiful Pacific Northwest nature. There is a discovery center with reptiles and amphibians. A nature-inspired playground called Kids’ Trek that kids of all ages will love. Nearby is the Forest Cafe with a decent selection. On the other side of the park are the main animal exhibits. You will find the birds, big cats, wetland animals, forest animals, bears and canines. There are large exhibits for the bears with multiple viewing platforms. They also typically have several keeper chats throughout the day.
Bald Eagle at Northwest Trek
Fox at Northwest Trek
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium
Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium is a more typical zoo, compared to Northwest Trek. However, it is unlike the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle due to its Aquarium. It is a relatively small zoo and can be fully experienced in a couple hours, but is definitely a fun one to visit. Some of the notable animals include a polar bear (although is moving zoos soon), a walrus, otters, penguins, wolves, tigers, tapirs, gibbons, meerkats, lemurs, reef sharks, sea turtles, sting rays and so much more. Definitely visit the aquarium parts of the zoo, as we found this to be the most impressive area of the zoo and one of the most engaging for kids. Along with the animals, there is also a carousel, a well stocked gift shop, a nice cafe, and some play areas for kids.
Overlapping with the Trolls’ visit, Point Defiance Zoo has Zoolights from November 27th to January 3rd. You will be able to see some of the trolls during this event as well.
If you have more time after visiting the zoo, I highly recommend exploring more of Point Defiance Park where the zoo resides.
Underwater polar bear viewing area at Point Defiance Zoo
Tropical Aquarium at Point Defiance Zoo
Tapirs at Point Defiance Zoo
The Trolls
When creating the personalities and names for his Trolls, Thomas Dambo often looks to Scandinavian folklore and nature for inspiration. Some of the trolls names might sound familiar to an English-speaker like Birch (as in the birch tree), Bignut (“big” and “nut”), Poppy (as in the flower). Other names are more Scandinavian in origin like Valle, Anja, Hasse, Taks (which means yew – the evergreen tree), Kirse (similar to the word for cherry). The names definitely compliment the trolls themselves, which are made from recycled wood and other materials and are often found playing with the nature around them.
When you go visit the trolls, they will give you a brochure that tells you the name of all of the trolls and what they are getting up to. I will try not to spoil too much as part of the fun of the troll hunt is discovering them on your own. I will just say that many have fun and quirky poses, several have components that you can interact with. You can pretend to be caught or measure yourself on a stick that one of the trolls is holding. On the brochure, most of the trolls have a little activity for you to do with each one. This can be as simple as finding a nice leaf or trying to match a mark that is on the page or reflecting on what you smell.
As I stated earlier, there are 12 total trolls. 8 of which are found at Northwest Trek and 4 are found at Point Defiance Zoo.
Thomas Dambo’s trolls are made out of reclaimed wood and materials
Taks Troll
More FAqs
Here are some more answers to frequently asked questions that weren’t addressed above.
Are the troll sculptures accessible by stroller or wheelchair?
At Northwest Trek – 7 of the 8 trolls are right off the paved pathways and easily accessible. One of those 7 is best seen from a short unpaved path off the paved trail. The 8th troll can only be viewed from a tram or premier tour in the free-roaming area. The trams that take you around the free-roaming area can accommodate wheelchairs. There is also stroller parking at the tram loading station. Note that the tram ride is 40 minutes long.
At Point Defiance Zoo – all four trolls are along ADA-accessible paved pathways.
Can we climb on the trolls?
Visitors are welcome to touch, hug and gently interact with the trolls. However, climbing on the wooden trolls is prohibited. These trolls are made from reclaimed wood and climbing on them can pose a safety risk.
Touch tank at Point Defiance Zoo
Wooden Jimothy made by community members at Northwest Trek
Entrance to Kids Trek – Northwest Trek’s kids play area
Is visiting the trolls suitable for young children?
Definitely! All of the trolls are very playful. There is a fun scavenger hunt aspect that is engaging for kids and honestly, humans of all ages. There is walking that is involved and little legs making it to all 12 trolls in one day might be a big ask.
Which troll is the hardest to find?
Bignut. Bignut is in the Nature trails area of the Northwest Trek. Some of the trails are paved but right before you get to Bignut, it turns into an unpaved trail. The map shows Bignut right at the start of the Triangle loop, however the trails themselves are not the best marked. All in all, he is not too difficult to find if you have the map, but I did watch a few people make wrong turns when seeking him out. Assign one trusty person to be your navigator to lead your group to him. Or if you are okay walking extra, put the map down and enjoy the trails and surprise yourself when you come across him.
Bignut troll
Paved trails at Northwest Trek
Is parking free?
Yes, there is free parking at both Northwest Trek and Point Defiance Zoo. Note that on busy weekend days, the parking lots might be quite full.
Do you need to reserve tickets in advance?
You are able to buy tickets for both zoos in advance, however they are not for a specific day and time. Daytime tickets are valid for one visit and can be used any day up to one year from the date of purchase.
Twelve new large wooden trolls have arrived in the Pacific Northwest by Danish artist Thomas Dambo. These new trolls are a part of a touring troll expedition and will only be here from October 15, 2026 through January 24, 2027. Trolls: A Field Study is split between two different parks: Northwest Trek and Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium, both located south of Seattle. If you are a PNW local or visiting Seattle this fall or winter, I would highly recommend spending a day visiting these trolls and exploring these two fun parks worthwhile in their own right.