A Road Trip - The Detroit Lake Trolls & Golden Rabbit
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2 Portals (We missed the one in Fargo)
5 Trolls
The Happy Wall (A Dambo Creation)
The Golden Rabbit
& Also ice cream, Big Tom, and Mammoth Marshall
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FIRST - What most of you came to find out - YES. We saw them all in one day. Half a day actually. From the time stamps on my photos we got to the first portal on our list at 12:59 pm, and the last portal (before Fargo) at 5:50 PM. That includes stops in addition to the trolls, and yes, it included the Golden Rabbit.
We also walked the entire art trail at Ortenstone Gardens, while visiting Frida. We were not at all rushed to complete it in that time frame.
We already knew the locations of each troll, rabbit, and portal, and we went in geographical order - we did not start at Alexa, gather clues, and end at the Golden Rabbit. However, after completing this, I am confident you could do it that way and also still do it in less than a full day.
We were seated in the Space Alien Restaurant in Fargo by 7:10pm, so although we forgot to do the last portal in Fargo, it would easily have been do-able as well.
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THE ROADTRIP
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In early June of 2026, we drove from Pennsylvania to Montana to visit our grandchildren. Along the way we saw lighthouses along Lake Erie, the Indiana Sand Dunes, the Dambo Trolls in Minnesota, did the geotour (geocaching) in Gilby North Dakota, and visited Teddy Roosevelt National Park, also in North Dakota. We also saw a long list of roadside attractions ("world's largest") and made various kitschy little tourist stops, in addition to a few hikes. It was an incredible trip!
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Dambo Trolls
| Gilby Geocaching & I94 Sights | |
(Eventually each of those days will have links - but I'm not even home from vacation yet, so it may be awhile before I finish)
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Day 3 - Minnesota
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Traveling with my husband is SO very different than traveling with my daughter. To make it easier for him and less frustrating for me, I made a Road Trip Trip Tick - sort of like the old trip ticks from AAA years ago, before we all had GPS.
On Day Three we woke up in a hotel in a Best Western Plus Hotel in Eau Claire Wisconsin. Although I have not had a favorable impression of Best Western, after staying in one in Texas nearly a decade ago, on this trip west, we have been VERY pleased. So, for me Best WESTERN is great in the west, but not so much in the south. :-)
Note - we did see Mama Rosa on Day 2, while in Wisconsin.
When we travel, I do stop in thrift stores. I have over the years found t-shirts, and Christmas ornaments - trip souvenirs - at thrift stores. Not only are they a fraction of the price, but it fits the "reuse, recycle, keep things out of the landfill" theme of the Dambo Trolls. We did not have any luck at this particular thrift store. If we HAD found anything, the money we spent would have gone to a good cause, but it would not have been any less expensive - the prices there were much higher than our rural thrift stores. But again, good cause - and reuse/Recycle...
Here's a broad view of the days plans, in our google maps "My Map" I made for the trip. In Pelican Heights is the "Worlds Largest Pelican". We did not visit that, it was out of the way for us, but I left it on the map "Just in Case". :-) The Blue marker on the right is the first portal stop, the burgundy burger on the top left is the Space Alien restaurant in Fargo, with the other marker in Fargo being a portal. If coming from the other direction, we would have started with the portal in Fargo.
Signature Bird Houses, Near the Portal in Perham
There are clusters of birdhouses similar to this near every troll and portal - not just the ones in the Detroit Lakes area. They are an indicator that a troll is near.
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PORTALS
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147 East Main Street Perham, Minnesota
In June 2026, this was in a mini park with a pretty mural across from it, and a coffee shop across the street. Scroll up to the photo above, with the tree and birdhouses, that photo is in the same park - the portal is "hidden" behind the tree in that first photo.
806 Summit Avenue, Detroit Lakes Mn
As near as I can tell, portals are only in the Detroit Lakes/Fargo area. They are " Magic Mirrors or artistic gateways from one location to another. " It was my impression that their purpose is to drum up excitement for the troll search in the area. :-)
The last portal is located at Roberts Alley, Fargo ND.
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THE DETROIT LAKE TROLLS
In Geographical Order
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We were approaching the area from the South East, so the logical approach was:
Jacob
Barefoot Frida
Long Lief/ Happy Board/Golden Rabbit
Alexa
Portal
Ronny Funny Face
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JACOB EVEREAR
This is a short easy walk, in a park. Follow the birdhouses from the parking lot. (Admittedly, I got momentarily sidetracked by the covered bridge and the beautiful view from the bridge.. but you do not cross the bridge to get to Jacob)
Jacob is built to be climbed on - the signs there encourage you to climb on him, just not on his feet or head. You can sit on his hand, like a bench, and talk to him - it makes a great photo!
When we pulled into the parking lot at the Wannigan Regional park, there were signs and birdhouses leading right to Jacob.
Its roughly a 1/2 mile walk on a mostly flat gravel walking path.
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FRIDA
Located at Ortenstone Gardens, this was a beautiful walk in a "new" park. They were planting over 2,000 flowers while we were there, and building what appears to be a pavilion? The walk to Frida is short and relatively flat - and it only added a few extra minutes to follow the entire trail and see all of the other art and sculptures there.
There was a trailer with stickers and t-shirts, and drinks, for sale, as well.
Roughly 1/3 of a mile, on a dirt path well marked by birdhouses.
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THE GOLDEN RABBIT, HAPPY WALL, & LEIF
(& Marshall Mammoth, Ice Cream, and T-shirts)
In the Detroit Mountain Recreation Area
The Golden Rabbit, Happy Wall, and Leif are all accessed from the same parking lot. We meant to visit Leif First, but we parked right beside the sign for the Golden Rabbit—which included an arrow directing us on which trail to take, so we started there. There are hills, but even in 90 degrees, this was not a terribly difficult walk. We were prepared for MUCH worse, but this is similar to most hikes in central PA. There’s even a bench at the top of the hill (about half way) if you need to rest.
This was a great stop all around. There is a gift shop in the Detroit Mountain Day Tripper Sips and Scoops, with t-shirts and Tillamook Creamery Ice cream (my affogato was fabulous!). The t-shirts are all made from "seconds" - shirts that would be discarded by the factory, so sizes and colors are random.
On the other side of the parking lot is Mammoth Marshall - a large mammoth made of sticks. Walk around to the other side, and there are stairs - he's a tree house, you can go up inside!
The walk to Leif felt longer than most of the other walks - but probably because it was so hot, and we were a little tired after walking to the Golden Rabbit. It's only about 1/3 of a mile. There is a sign on the trail that if it is too wet, it is closed and cannot be used.
The Happy Wall is right in the parking lot, and is fun to play with. This is also a Dambo creation.
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ALEXA
Located in the City Park. Ideally, you would start here, then follow the clues to find all of the other trolls, ending with the Golden Rabbit.
You can park right across the sidewalk from Alexa. I would of course recommend getting out of the car to see her, but you wouldn't have to.
If you do get out of the car, you can flip the pages in the book in front of her.
Notice her arm, to the left in the above photo - it is reaching through a portal.
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RONNY FUNNY FACE
We parked in a parking lot off HWY 59 and Dunton Locks Road, then walked less than 1/4 of a mile on a paved walking path. This was the second easiest (next to Alexa) to see. Because of that, or maybe because of the time of day, it was actually one of the most difficult to see - there was a constant stream of people at this one. But it was the second easiest to walk to.
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ADDITIONAL LINKS AND INFORMATION
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The Troll Map - An interactive map showing the location of all of the trolls
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