Have you heard of The Rhode Island Troll Trail? I hadn’t before a friend sent me an article and suggested we check it out. I am so glad we did! While I write bi-monthly about adventures in Connecticut, occasionally I may write about other cool hiking spots in a SIDE TRAIL such as this one. The trolls are the work of Danish artist Thomas Dambo, who, according to his website, “celebrate[s] the intersection of art, nature, storytelling, and recycling.”  He built his first troll sculpture out of recycled materials in 2014, and things really took off in 2016 when he created the 6 Forgotten Giants – an open air sculpture treasure hunt in Copenhagen. As of 2026 Dambo has installed almost two hundred sculptures around the world, and has a 50 States – Trolls of America project in the works, hoping to install a troll in every state. You can hear more directly from Thomas Dambo in this new short film, “Thomas Dambo: Trollmaker.”

According to an article in Rhode Island Monthly, the first two Rhode Island troll installations (at Ninigret Park in Charlestown)  were the brainchild of South County Tourism Council President Louise Bishop, who had “read an article about him in 2019 and wondered if they could bring something similar to Rhode Island.” Seeing the potential for bringing more tourism to the state, along with encouraging both environmental stewardship and spending time in nature, other Tourism Councils got on the bandwagon, and with help from Commerce RI and the RI Department of Environmental Management, Thomas Dambo was recruited to build 3 more trolls in 2025.

We decided to visit all five in a single day, although it would be fun to spread it out as multiple day trips or an overnight stay and extend our explorations. We kept to our plan – a weekday in late June – despite the occasional rain. We were fortunate that the rain was intermittent, and never a downpour. Despite the rain, we encountered at least a few other troll hunters at each location. I imagine it gets very busy on a summer weekend. In recounting our adventure, I’ll share detailed recommendations for parking, but stay a bit obtuse as to the exact troll locations. There is plenty of information online that can assist you in your search, but since the search is half the fun I want to leave some detective work for you.

Ninigret Park, Charlestown, RI – Erik Rock and Greta Granite

We decided to start at Ninigret Park in Charlestown. The Visit Rhode Island website lists two addresses.  We used 4800 Ninigret Park Road, Charlestown to get to our starting point and did a loop hike to view both trolls. We stopped briefly to view the map and read the park history at the kiosk, then parked near the playground. Unsure exactly where to go, we wandered toward the lake, and then out to the road to get to the other side of the lake. We quickly learned that, in addition to online information, there are lots of onsite clues, including yellow footprints and occasional signs.  A big clue was a stone archway that looked like the entrance to a troll home.  Our first troll encounter was Erik Rock, and it was very special.

From left to right: mist on the lake; Erik Rock lounging, a closeup of one hand clasping the rock.

From there we followed a woods path to a road and found the rather overgrown entrance to the side trail for Greta Granite. Be careful if you venture on the path past the troll because we did see poison ivy.  I recorded 1.2 miles.

From left to right: Greta Granite from the front and the back; each troll has a numbered plaque with the Troll and artist name. Greta is #128; detail of the soles of Greta’s feet.

Examples of the different clues we encountered that assist troll hunters in finding their target

Ryan Park, North Kingstown, RI – Iver Mudslider

Our next destination was Ryan Park to find Iver Mudslider. Finding the trailhead we wanted was trickier.  The address given on the Visit Rhode Island website is 100 Oak Hill Road, North Kingstown, but this goes to a random house.  We were approaching from the east, so continued west on Oak Hill Road and pulled into the first Ryan Park entrance, but quickly discovered this was the lot for the sports fields and boat ramp.  Further west on Oak Hill Road there was another parking area on the right, which is the starting point for the loop we had singled out on All Trails.  However, other websites suggested to approach the troll from the parking lot on Lafayette Road.  This was, indeed, closer to the troll site, and recommended if you are only visiting the troll and not walking the full loop.  In the parking area we encountered a couple from South Dakota – full-time RV-ers who had come to Rhode Island specifically to visit the trolls (they had been to some of the other Thomas Dambo trolls in the US).  We followed the cart path south, and watched for the correct side trail.

Iver Mudslider looks like he is having so much fun that the park felt compelled to post signs reminding folks not to climb on him

After visiting Iver Mudslider we continued down the dirt road to the southernmost point near the Oak Hill Road parking area, then looped around to the left.  At this point the trail became single track.  We followed it for a while, but it was so overgrown that we eventually cut back over to the cart path.  AllTrails was helpful for deciding which cutover to take, as there were several options. I recorded 2 miles.

From left to right: in case you miss the first side trail, there are other clues that lead to the troll; the dirt roadway; at first the single track is manageable, but then gets quite overgrown

Kettle Point Pier, East Providence, RI – Mrs. Skipper

Our next destination was East Providence, and the directions were confusing. The Visit Rhode Island website gives the address as 160 Kettle Point Ave, but in Google Maps this takes you past the turn. Instead, once you turn on Kettle Point Ave off Veterans Memorial Highway, take the right hand turn just BEFORE the University Orthopedics Kettle Point Building. The signage is not great by the road, but it becomes clearer when you reach the parking lot which is also parking for the East Bay Bike Path. You can turn this into a longer walk by going farther on the bike path. Kettle Point is a wonderful example of reclaiming an old industrial area for nature.  This site was a petroleum storage facility until 1980. The city discourages walking down the rocks to the troll. Since it was actively raining and the rocks were wet and slippery, we opted to view Mrs. Skipper from the boardwalk.

From left to right: The East Bay Bike Path with another troll clue; the slippery rocks leading to the point; views of Mrs. Skipper from the boardwalk

After admiring Mrs. Skipper we walked out to the end of the dock, which has benches and tables and looks like a great place for a picnic when it isn’t raining.   I recorded .6 miles.

Browning Mill Pond, Richmond RI – Young Boulder

Perhaps my favorite hiking spot was the loop around Browning Mill Pond.  The address on the Visit Rhode Island website uses 565 Arcadia Road, Richmond RI.  This goes to a bend in the road at the junction with K. G. Ranch Road. We opted to park in the large Browning Mill Pond “Lower Parking Lot” just north of this on Arcadia Road.  If you look on the map, you can see there is another road pull off further north that gets you much closer to the troll. From the lower lot we did a counter-clockwise loop of the pond using the AllTrails hike as a guide. If using the directions link in AllTrails, note that this leads to yet another parking pullout that is in between the two I have described already. The approach to Young Boulder is through a mixed forest alongside the pond. Beautiful!

After visiting our last troll, we enjoyed a peaceful stroll around the pond which offered many scenic water views, a babbling brook and the mill pond dam. I recorded 1.5 miles.

From left to right: one of our first views of the pond after leaving the parking lot; the dam; the brook; one of many wooden walkways, this one built by the New England Mountain Biking Association (NEMBA)

Questions? Email me at naturenerdsramble@gmail.com or find me on Instagram @the_real_nature_renee.