If you drive about an hour southwest of Colorado Springs, past the neon signs of the Cripple Creek casinos and up into the thin air of the Sangre de Cristo foothills, you’ll hit Victor. It’s a town that feels like it’s held together by grit and old gold dust. But lately, people aren't just coming for the history or the mines. They’re looking for a giant. Specifically, a 21-foot-tall wooden lady named Rita the Rock Planter.
Honestly, the first time you see her, it’s a bit of a shock. She’s massive. She’s kneeling on the red earth of Little Grouse Mountain, looking kind of contemplative, like she’s just woken up from a really long nap and realized the neighbors trashed the place.
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The Story Behind the Sculpture
So, who is she? Rita is the 119th creation of Thomas Dambo, a Danish "recycle artist" who’s basically on a mission to populate the world with these gentle wooden giants. If you’ve been to Breckenridge, you’ve probably heard of her "brother," Isak Heartstone. But while Isak is a bit of a local celebrity who had to be moved because of too much traffic, Rita feels much more integrated into the landscape of Victor.
The lore is actually pretty sweet. Dambo writes poems for all his trolls. The story goes that Rita took a nap that lasted a hundred suns (trolls are heavy sleepers, clearly). When she woke up, her mountain was full of holes. Now, those holes were actually the remains of 19th-century gold mines, but to a troll, they looked like dangerous traps.
Rita didn't get angry. She just got to work. She’s depicted "planting" rocks back into the earth to cover the holes so that a stray elk or a wandering human doesn't trip and fall. It's a symbolic way of saying we need to fix what we’ve broken in nature. Pretty deep for a pile of old pallets, right?
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How to Actually Find Rita the Rock Planter
Finding her isn't exactly a quest through Middle Earth, but you do have to know where to turn. You’re looking for the Little Grouse Mountain Trail.
Most people take Highway 67. About a mile west of Victor, there’s a dirt parking lot. Look for the birdhouses. That’s the secret. The town and the artist’s team put up these colorful little birdhouses to guide you from the trailhead. It’s a short walk—maybe a quarter-mile if you use the upper lot, or a bit longer if you start from the bottom.
- The Quick Way: Park at the upper lot. It’s a downhill stroll, maybe 5-10 minutes.
- The Scenic Way: Park at the lower lot and hike the 1.9-mile loop. You get better views of the mines and the mountains.
- The Local Way: You can actually hike from downtown Victor via the Birdhouse Trail.
The trail itself is rocky and at high elevation (about 10,000 feet), so if you're visiting from sea level, maybe take it slow. You'll feel that thin air in your lungs.
Why Victor is the Perfect Home for a Troll
Victor is a "City of Mines." It’s quiet. It’s rugged. Unlike Breckenridge, which is a bustling resort town, Victor feels like a place where a troll could actually live undisturbed. The Gold Camp District Impact Group (gcDIG) was the group that pushed to bring her here. They wanted something to help the local economy without turning the town into a theme park.
Rita was built in August 2023 with the help of about 100 volunteers. They used roughly 200 recycled wooden pallets. Her "hair" is made of dead pine branches gathered from the surrounding woods. Her face? That was actually pre-made in Denmark from scrap wood and shipped over.
There’s something very cool about the fact that she’s made of "trash." Dambo’s whole point is that what we throw away—old shipping crates, discarded furniture—has value. When you stand next to her and see the individual slats of wood that make up her fingers, it hits home.
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Things to Keep in Mind Before You Go
Don't be that person. You know the one. The person who climbs on the art for a TikTok.
- Don't climb on Rita. She’s sturdy, but she’s art, not a jungle gym. Climbing damages the wood and can lead to the sculpture being closed off.
- Leave no trace. This is a high-altitude environment. It’s fragile. Pack out your trash.
- Check the weather. Victor gets snow when the rest of the state is wearing shorts. Check the conditions before you head up the pass.
- Bring water. High altitude + hiking = dehydration.
What Else is Nearby?
Since you're already up there, don't just see the troll and leave. Victor and Cripple Creek have a lot of weird, cool stuff.
- Vindicator Valley Trail: A great hike through old mining ruins.
- Gold Camp Bakery: Seriously, get a pastry here. It’s legendary.
- Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine: If you want to see the "holes" Rita is trying to fill, go 1,000 feet underground in this tour.
Actionable Next Steps for Your Trip
If you're planning to visit Rita the Rock Planter, here is exactly how to prep:
- Check the Trollmap: Thomas Dambo has an official Trollmap that shows the locations of all his trolls globally. It's the best way to see if there are others on your route.
- Download Offline Maps: Cell service is spotty in the Teller County mountains. Download the Google Map area for Victor/Cripple Creek before you leave.
- Pack Layers: Even in July, the wind on Little Grouse Mountain can be biting. A light windbreaker is a lifesaver.
- Arrive Early: On weekends, the small parking lots fill up by 10:00 AM. Aim for a weekday morning if you want a photo without twenty other people in the background.
Visiting Rita isn't just about the photo op. It's about the drive through the mountains, the smell of the pine trees, and the weirdly peaceful feeling of seeing a giant wooden creature "healing" a mountain. It’s a reminder that even in a world that’s been dug up and built over, there’s still room for a little magic.