At some point, eighteen giant wooden trolls stop being public art and become logistics.
This is that point.
The Pacific Northwest already had six Thomas Dambo trolls scattered from Portland to Vashon Island. Then twelve more arrived in Washington for Trolls: A Field Study.
I started counting.
Then I made the mistake of opening maps.
Then ferry schedules got involved.
And suddenly I was no longer writing a cute art story. I was planning a regional operation involving two zoos, a tram, multiple islands and one giant wooden man sleeping near bison.
So here is the version I wanted when I first tried to understand this mess.
THERE ARE TWO DIFFERENT TROLL PROJECTS. THIS IS THE FIRST THING TO KNOW.
The twelve newer trolls are part of Trolls: A Field Study. Eight live at Northwest Trek Wildlife Park in Eatonville and four are at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium in Tacoma. They are temporary and scheduled through January 24, 2027.
The original six are Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King, installed in 2023. Those are the free public-art trolls spread across Portland and the Puget Sound region.
Parks Tacoma confirmed the 8-and-4 split for us. Thomas Dambo’s press team confirmed the original six were still accessible.
Two projects. Eighteen trolls. One region apparently unable to say no to enormous forest people.
IF YOU WANT MAXIMUM TROLLS WITH MINIMUM CHAOS: DO THE TEMPORARY 12
All twelve temporary trolls are included with regular admission at their respective parks. There is no separate troll ticket.
Northwest Trek and Point Defiance are roughly an hour apart by car.
Parks Tacoma told us seeing all twelve in one day is possible.
Possible and enjoyable are not always the same word.
If your dream vacation energy is “we have six minutes with Bignut before we need to beat traffic to Tacoma,” live your truth.
Photo: Parks Tacoma / Trolls: A Field Study media imagery.
NORTHWEST TREK: EIGHT TROLLS AND ONE VERY IMPORTANT TRAM PROBLEM
- Taks — Cat pathway.
- Anja — Behind the Golden Eagle habitat.
- Wilde — Tour Station pathway.
- Bignut — Nature Trails Fairy House Loop.
- Lilnut — Upper bear pathway.
- Hasse — Near the gray wolf pathway.
- Kirse — Lower bear pathway.
- Valle — Free-Roaming Area.
Most of these are straightforward. Bignut is the one where the trail starts behaving like a trail: partially paved, exposed roots, uneven ground.
Valle is the one you need to plan around.
You cannot simply stroll up to Valle. The sleeping troll lives in the Free-Roaming Area and is seen from the included Discovery Tram, a Wild Drive add-on or a Keeper Adventure Tour.
Discovery Tram seating is first-come, first-served and can fill.
This is the sentence I would tattoo on the itinerary if Valle is your emotional support troll.
Photo: Parks Tacoma / Trolls: A Field Study media imagery.
POINT DEFIANCE: FOUR TROLLS, MUCH LESS DRAMA
- Boge — Front entrance.
- Larke — Near the polar bear habitat.
- Poppy — Near the muskoxen habitat.
- Birch — Asian Forest Sanctuary.
All four are on paved, ADA-accessible routes.
If you are traveling with somebody who would like their giant-troll day to involve fewer roots, fewer trams and fewer moments where one adult says “wait, where the hell is Bignut,” Point Defiance is the gentler cluster.
Photo: Parks Tacoma / Trolls: A Field Study media imagery.
THE MONEY TIP
If you pay regular daytime admission at one park, ask at check-in about the Troll discount coupon for the other park.
Current park guidance says it can save $10 off front-gate daytime general admission at the second park for up to five tickets.
It must be redeemed in person and does not stack with other discounts or special events.
Parking at both parks is free.
And both had seasonal Tuesday/Wednesday closures during the fall schedule, so please check before driving to Eatonville with the confidence of somebody who has not yet met a locked gate.
NOW THE FREE SIX. THIS IS WHERE THE ROAD TRIP GETS SEXY AND THE LOGISTICS GET STUPID.
The original Northwest Trolls do not require zoo admission.
They do, however, require geography.
- Ole Bolle — Nordic Northwest, 8800 SW Oleson Road, Portland. Free during daylight/visitor hours.
- Frankie Feetsplinters — National Nordic Museum, 2655 NW Market Street, Seattle. Outside on a concrete plaza.
- Bruun Idun — Lincoln Park, 8011 Fauntleroy Way SW, West Seattle. Dawn to dusk.
- Jakob Two Trees — Rainier Trail via Issaquah Community Center, 301 Rainier Blvd S, Issaquah.
- Pia the Peacekeeper — Sakai Park, 1560 Madison Ave N, Bainbridge Island.
- Oscar the Bird King — Point Robinson Park, 3705 SW Point Robinson Road, Vashon Island.
Portland and Seattle make you feel overconfident.
Then Bainbridge introduces a ferry.
Then Vashon introduces another ferry and the small detail that public transit does not take you directly to Oscar.
This is how a charming sculpture project becomes a relationship test.
CAN YOU SEE ALL 18 IN ONE DAY?
No.
Please respect yourself.
The original Northwest Trolls project recommends two to three days for the six free trolls alone, and that makes sense once the islands enter the chat.
Add Eatonville, Tacoma and Portland and this is not a checklist anymore. It is a trip.
HOW I WOULD DO IT
Day 1: Northwest Trek + Point Defiance. Get the temporary twelve in one big Washington day.
Day 2: Seattle + West Seattle + Issaquah + Bainbridge if ferry timing behaves and everybody in the car still likes each other.
Day 3: Vashon for Oscar, then Portland/Ole Bolle on the southbound leg—or give Portland its own day and stop acting like efficiency is a personality.
IF YOU ONLY WANT ONE
Northwest Trek.
Eight trolls, forest setting, and enough scale that the whole thing feels less like visiting sculptures and more like the woods have been keeping secrets from you.
If accessibility and simplicity matter most, Point Defiance is easier.
If you are in Portland and want free: Ole Bolle.
If you want the full story, do not collect trolls. Travel through them.
That is why I like Dambo’s work when it is at its best. The sculpture is not the destination. It rearranges the map around itself.
You go looking for a giant face in the trees and suddenly you are on a ferry, in a neighborhood, inside a zoo, on a trail you would never have chosen.
Public art made you leave the house.
Very sneaky.
Last verified October 30, 2026. The temporary exhibition is scheduled through January 24, 2027. Hours, tram availability, admission and ferry schedules can change; recheck before leaving.
Sources: Parks Tacoma / Northwest Trek direct reporting with PNW Passport; Thomas Dambo press team; Northwest Trolls visitor guides.
