Nordic Northwest
8800 SW Oleson Road
Portland, OR 97223
9am-5pm Mon-Fri
9am-3pm Sat-Sun
Admission is free and available during daylight hours. Docent led troll walks and tours of the cultural center are available. Closed most holidays.
Fine gravel paths to the troll are traversable by walking assistance devices and wheelchairs, but may be difficult. The distance to the troll from both the upper and lower parking lots is less than 0.25 miles. Restrooms are open during regular hours and have accessible stalls.
Trimet buses 43 and 45.
Nordic NW has two ample parking lots (50 spaces) with overflow parking available on 80th and Scholls Ferry. The upper lot includes one step up a curb and has a slightly steep entrance.
There are limited (6-10) parking spaces at Sakai Park. Pia is located roughly 700ft from the small lot on Madison Avenue
A short 0.1 mile trail walk from the Madison Ave parking lot is traversable by ADA, rolling vehicles and walking assistance devices.
There is one ADA accessible portable restroom at Sakai Park.
Bainbridge Island is about a 35 minute ferry ride from Seattle’s Coleman Dock. Sakai Park is roughly 1.0 mile from the Bainbridge ferry terminal. Kitsap Transit and BI Ride provide bus service from the ferry terminal. Disembark at 305 and High School Road or the stop near the library.
Lincoln Park
8011 Fauntleroy Way SW
Seattle, WA 98136
Lincoln Park includes 4.6 miles of walking paths, 3.9 miles of bike trails, five picnic shelters, acres of playfields and an outdoor heated saltwater pool. Open dawn to dusk.
There are two parking lots along Fauntleroy Way SW with a total of about 120 spaces and 9 ADA spots.
From the lower parking lot #2, a roughly 0.3 mile paved trail toward Coleman Pool is accessible for all. From the upper lot it’s a 1 mile hike over dirt and gravel trails.
Restrooms are located at the beach, concession and wading pool locations from 7am-7pm.
King County Metro bus via Rapid Ride C Line. You can also plan your visit by bus using TOTAGO.
Rainier Trail
via the Issaquah Community Center
301 Rainier Blvd South
Issaquah, WA 98027
Jakob is located on the trail about 0.25 miles from the Issaquah Community Center. Open dawn to dusk.
Open dawn to dusk.
There is a small lot at the Issaquah Community Center and parking is available on nearby streets.
Walk south on the paved Rainer Trail approximately 0.25 miles, past the Dog Park. The trail is ADA, rolling vehicle and bicycle friendly.
Restrooms are located in the Community Center. M-F 7am-9pm, Sat 8am-4pm.
National Nordic Museum
2655 NW Market Street
Seattle, WA 98107
Frankie Feetsplinter stands outside the museum and is viewable at all times.
Museum Hours
10am-5pm Tues-Sun
The museum’s parking lot is on the south side of the building, accessible via NW Market St and 28th Ave NW. Museum parking rates are $2 per hour and must be paid in advance at the kiosk or via the REEF Mobile app. Alternative parking is available along NW Market St and in residential neighborhoods nearby.
Frankie stands outside the Museum entrance on a concrete entry plaza. It is accessible for all via sidewalk.
Restrooms available in the museum
Point Robinson Park
Vashon Troll
3705 SW Point Robinson Road
Vashon, WA 98070
Point Robinson, located roughly 12 miles from the Vashon ferry terminal, is a 10 acre shoreline park and historical marine conservancy
Open 8am to dusk
There are two parking lots, Upper and Lower (ADA accessible). The lower lot is closed to general traffic.
There are two short trails through Point Robinson Park. The shorter trail from the lower parking lot includes an incline. The walk from the upper parking lot is less than 0.5 miles.
There is one ADA accessible portable restroom in the lower lot.
Vashon Island is accessed by ferry only. Ferries depart from Fauntleroy in Seattle, Point Defiance in Tacoma, or Southworth near Port Orchard. There is no public transportation directly to Robinson Park. Bus service runs North/South through the island.
This ambitious public art project is presented by Scan Design Foundation, whose mission is to support Danish-American relations with a focus on environmental sustainability. NWTrolls: Way of the Bird King features six giant hand-built troll sculptures by Danish environmental artist, Thomas Dambo. The publicly-accessible sculptures are located around the Pacific Northwest where each whimsical troll sculpture is part of an underlying environmental story. The project celebrates the human experience of art by amplifying the connections of cultural heritage between Coast Salish tribal communities and Scandinavian traditions. Thanks to our funding partners and host site partners, there is no admission fee to visit any of the trolls.
Thomas consulted with tribal groups and Nordic representatives to best integrate the shared values of protecting the PNW’s natural resources. For some sites, more involved collaboration was nurtured and factored into the creative process.
Bruun Idun: Muckleshoot artist, Coyote, carved a flute with killer whales, symbolizing the call for whales back to the Salish Sea.
Ole Bolle: Nordia House built a traditional Fogelbo (meaning “bird’s nest”) house to lure Ole Bolle.
Jakob Two Trees: Ginger de los Angeles from the Snoqualmie Tribe gifted braided cedar bark hair tie, bracelets and a necklace.
“ In nature, there is no landfill. Nature is circular, everything has a meaning and everything is recycled ”
Recycle Artist
In the summer of 2023, over a span of 7 weeks, the Dambo crew and a small army of volunteers completed the 6 installations.
A troll takes roughly 7-9 days to build. The trolls were built concurrently during the 7 week timeframe, with two trolls being worked on simultaneously.
A combination of structural wood, used pallets, and found decorations including shells, tree branches, stones and other organic material.
A combination of structural wood, used pallets, and found decorations including shells, tree branches, stones and other organic material.
Each site sourced its own materials, but almost all of the recycled and reclaimed culled lumber, construction scrap wood, used pallets and decorative materials were donated from local businesses and individuals.
Yes, the intention is that visitors can interact and engage with the Trolls. Visitors are free to hug and/or take pictures with the trolls.
No climbing is allowed. Signage requests visitors refrain from climbing the sculptures to avoid injury and to ensure that the trolls can be enjoyed for many years to come.
August 11 - 18, 2024
Nordic Northwest in Portland is hosting a series of events to celebrate Ole Bolle's first birthday!
LEARN MOREAugust 25th, 2024 at 12pm
August 25th is BRUUN IDUN DAY in Seattle. Come celebrate with our much-loved troll (by recycle artist, Thomas Dambo). Scan Design Foundation will have special treats to share as we honor Bruun Idun and the land and sea where she calls home. The Ice Cream social will take place in front of the troll in Lincoln Park, West Seattle.
August 25th, 2024 10am to 12pm
Come help restore natural areas surrounding the troll and making space for winter planting season. Meet us at the troll in Lincoln Park, West Seattle.
September 6th, 2024 at 3:30pm
Celebrate Jakob Two Trees' birthday with cake and a recycled art making event in front of the troll in Issaquah, WA!
September 15th, 2024 at 1pm
Birthday Celebration for OSCAR, THE BIRD KING Sunday, September 15 Upper Pt Robinson Park Vashon Island, WA 1 pm – 3 pm Oscar’s Birthday Cake A community art project lead by Desiree Workun 2 pm Interview with Oscar with Jon Whalen It is a day to celebrate Oscar joining the Vashon community one year ago. Thomas Dambo, his team, and over 80 Vashon volunteers completed Oscar’s build. Since that time Oscar has established himself as an iconic Vashon site. The day’s activities include building Oscar’s Birthday cake. This community participatory art project, led by Vashon artist Desiree Works will be made from natural items such as wood, shells, flower garlands, and natural twine. Visitors are welcome to bring garland, similar to the garland that drapes Oscar’s birdhouse towers. In addition, Jon Whalen will revive his hilarious characterization of Oscar being interviewed. And no birthday celebration would be complete without singing a big Happy Birthday to Oscar for his first birthday. We hope you will join the festivities!
Wed, Sep 18
In honor of 1 year of Frankie Feetsplinters at the Museum, we're celebrating free admission all day!
LEARN MOREFind us on social
Created in partnership with Geocaching HQ, the NW Trolls project is proud to offer six geocache adventures to help guide your troll journey. Each adventure includes one troll and ten additional objects of interest along the way.
Presented by
In partnership with
Additional support provided by
Site partners include
Project management provided by
Additional support provided by
Additional support provided by
