Visiting Victor's troll includes a short, scenic hike

Colorado’s first huge, wooden troll made its home in Breckenridge — a resort destination that welcomed the attraction in 2018. The state’s second troll has recently appeared in a less likely, less busy place.

In the mountains west of Colorado Springs, the historic gold camp of Victor was perfect for artist Thomas Dambo’s imagination to go wild.

The Danish sculptor spent the summer building his next troll close to one of the town’s mining headframes from the late 1800s, beside an old blacksmith shop. Dambo and volunteers worked here just as pioneers did during the Pikes Peak gold rush, amid open, rolling fields and wood and iron structures lending a timeless feel.

“To be here is to be living in a cowboy movie,” Dambo said. “Also, being a little like a gold digger. It’s the perfect spot.”

Say hello to Rita, the 119th member of Dambo’s global troll family. She is found atop a scenic perch, moving a pile of rock in search of something shiny.

Following Gold Camp District Impact Group’s request to Dambo, a once-quiet trailhead has turned pretty busy. Still, we had no problem parking on a recent Saturday morning.

We started from the Little Grouse Mountain trailhead detailed on the impact group’s website. It’s a short, uphill walk that shouldn’t be much trouble for families. Visitors can also drive up the hill, parking at the lot beside the headframe standing for the once-mighty American Eagles Mine. A trail sneaks behind the structure, ahead to Rita.

You’ve surely heard about the troll — they tend to go viral in Colorado — but you might not be aware of the sweeping view here. The Sangre de Cristo range and 14,000-foot Collegiate Peaks scrape the sky in the distance.