ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW) — While the Blue Ridge Mountains are old as dirt, sometimes its best trails are fleeting. The North Carolina Arboretum is currently home to 12 massive, wooden trolls by internationally renowned sculpture artist Thomas Dambo. The statues, constructed from reclaimed wood and fashioned with distinct names and personalities, are scattered around the NC Arboretum grounds, making for a solid walk in the woods in addition to troll-borne delight.

Fast facts

• The exhibit, “Trolls: A Field Study,” will be on display at the NC Arboretum from Nov. 15, 2025-Feb. 17, 2026
• While all 12 of the trolls are discoverable around the arboretum grounds, several are only accessible along the mulched, winding Natural Garden Trail, which is tougher terrain than the arboretum gardens
• Admission to the NC Arboretum is $20 for most vehicles, but access to the Dambo exhibit is included with the fee

Troll hunting

The first stop to make at the NC Arboretum is the visitor center, where troll hunting guests can find a small guidebook for the Dambo statues, complete with a map, names of the creatures and activities for “curious young human folk” to enjoy. While tracking down the trolls can be tackled in any order, the most efficient will be to greet “Wilde,” the doodling giant outside, before climbing the visitor center stairs and exiting to the arboretum gardens.

The first of the garden trolls is “Taks,” an inquisitive, net-bearing fellow with a palm to his brow.

Making your way through the gardens to the right, the next troll encounter will be with “Valle,” the sleepiest of the statues.

In addition to “Trolls: A Field Study,” the arboretum is also presenting its annual “Winter Lights” exhibit from Nov. 15, 2025-Jan. 4, 2026. Many of the lights are arranged around the gardens, making for a sparkly accompaniment to the rougher-hewn trolls.

After “Valle,” veer left to meet “Bignut.” Watch out: “Bignut” might just trap you inside of his stick cage. If you feel confident enough in your ability to escape, crawling into the cage for fun is an interactive option.

At the very end of the gardens, where there is a “Bignut,” there must be a “Lilnut.” The sister of the cage troll is a statue with a big net, which is just as interactive. Guests can crawl underneath the net – heads up, dirty knees will follow – to snap a photo in fear or delight.

The troll trail next leads around the front of the arboretum Education Center. This is the last of the easily accessible troll statues, but “Boge” might make for the best photo op of them all. The troll has his hands out, ready to grasp brave troll hunters.

The transition into the next few stops on the troll trail is a little tricky, so keep your eyes peeled. Heading down toward the Natural Garden Trail, a path which loops around the arboretum, is “Kirse,” an acrobatic troll.

After “Kirse,” double back a few paces to enter the Natural Garden Trail. After a brief walk along the mulch path, you will stumble across “Poppy,” the most multimedia of the trolls. “Poppy” is examining a collection of discarded cell phones in her hand, charmingly described as “pocket stars” in the guidebook.

One of the largest gaps between trolls is “Poppy” to “Hasse,” a silly troll located all the way across the Forest Meadow, a paved system of walkways located beneath the arboretum gardens. Cutting through the meadow will lead hunters to “Hasse,” after which hikers will need to return to the nearby Natural Garden Trail to find “Birch.”

“Birch”

“Hasse”

Along the troll trail, observant hikers may notice small stone and metal placards with the names of their attendant trolls. Scanning the QR code on these signs will take hunters to www.trollmap.com, a global database of Dambo’s creations. Scanning the code of each sign will allow hunters to mark a Dambo troll as “found.” Though there are over 170 trolls to find around the world, adding these 12 to your list would be an impressive start.

The longest walk between trolls comes after “Birch,” as hunters will navigate the Natural Garden Trail until coming across “Larke,” a troll with an interesting choice of hat, behind the NC Arboretum Visitor Center where we started.

To find the last troll, head back to the trail and down toward a small pond. This is the steepest descent on the treasure trail, but worthwhile. “Anja” is waiting to greet hunters with a collection of stones and an accompanying informative sign.

“Anja”

Hunters admire “Anja” across the pond.

A sign by “Anja” mixes the whimsical with the factual.

A walk up the other side of the pond will take hikers back to the parking lot and visitor center. Congratulations, your troll trek is complete.