Finding Rita the Rock Planter in Victor, Colorado
Add a little magic to your visit to Colorado Springs with a visit to Rita the Rock Planter troll! You can find her by venturing into the Rocky Mountains near Victor, Colorado, and exploring the state’s historic gold and silver mining area.
This incredible sculpture by Danish artist Thomas Dambo is located 2 miles west of Victor, Colorado, and 48 miles southwest of Colorado Springs.
While Rita might be off the beaten path for most visits to Colorado Springs, the hike and experience of seeing her is well worth a few hours of your time while you’re in the area.
Below, you’ll find everything you need to know in order to meet Rita the Rock Planter yourself. I’ve included details on parking, where to find the troll in Victor, the best ways to view the sculpture, what else to do nearby, and information on Thomas Dambo’s trolls.
Let’s go troll hunting in the Rocky Mountains!
Rita the Rock Planter, Victor, Colorado's troll!
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Where are Thomas Dambo’s trolls?
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Thomas Dambo is a Danish sculptor who has created a series of troll sculptures around the world. These trolls are sourced from local and recycled materials in order to make each sculpture as eco-friendly as possible.
Dambo works with local arts councils, environmental groups, and visitors bureaus to come up with a unique troll that reflects that specific location’s unique beauty and ecological benefits. The trolls come with a unique name, personality, and perspective, which are highlighted in signage at each location.
The end result is a larger-than-life sculpture that showcases the power of reusing materials and the blending of art and environment.
You can explore the interactive Troll map here to see which trolls are located near you.
Rita the Rock Planter, the troll near Colorado Springs, is just one of Dambo’s many troll sculptures.
We’ve fallen in love with Dambo’s trolls and try to find them on our travels. We also saw Mama Mimi the troll near Jackson, Wyoming, while visiting Grand Teton National Park!
Rita the Rock Planter is just one of many amazing family adventures in Colorado! Be sure to check out the rest, which include a historic train ride, mountaintop theme park, cave tours, and more.
Where is Rita the Rock Planter?
Rita the troll is located off of Colorado State Highway 67, 4 miles south of Cripple Creek and 2 miles west of Victor.
Both of these towns have a rich mining history, so it makes sense that Rita is also moving rocks around!
To get to Rita from Colorado Springs, it’s about a 45 minute drive west of the city. From Colorado Springs, take Highway 24 to Woodland Park, and continue following Highway 24 to Divide, Colorado.
In Divide, turn left onto State Highway 67, and follow that road for about 23 miles, going through Cripple Creek before driving alongside the Cripple Creek and Victor Mine.
Looking down onto Cripple Creek, Colorado, on the road to Rita the Rock Planter
The turn off to Rita the Rock Planter’s property will be to your right. There is a small wooden fence next to the turn-in, alongside a small sign about Rita. You’ll also see a cluster of colorful bird houses on the fence.
These birdhouses help lead visitors to Rita, and you’ll see them in various areas around the property.
This turn off is located just as Highway 67 begins to gain elevation, and you’ll be able to see a mining building a few hundred yards up the road. (If you pass that building, you’ve gone too far.)
Rita the Rock Planter is located on Little Grouse Mountain, across State Highway 67 from that mining operation.
Rita’s Message and Environmental Impact
The younger Camping Kiddo on Rita's rock pile. You can see the Cripple Creek and Victor mining operation behind.
According to the lore set out by Thomas Dambo, Rita the Rock Planter is worried about all of the holes left in this area by the mining operations of the 1800s, and she’s working hard to fill them in so no one gets hurt.
Rita is located directly on an old mining site, and there are holes here left over from those ventures around 100 years ago.
Since Thomas Dambo incorporates environmental messages into his overall body of work, it’s important to note that there is a strip mine behind Rita which is easiliy visible from her location. The Cripple Creek and Victor Mine (also known as the CC and V Mine) is the largest of its kind in Colorado, and it serves as a harsh contrast to the environmental work that Rita the troll is attempting to do.
She’s trying to fix the damage left from previous mining ventures, while a current mining operation works even harder behind her.
That strip mine on the mountain behind Rita is also in stark contrast to the gorgeous Rocky Mountains in front of her, which have been untouched by industry—so far.
Looking at Rita and the mining operation behind her, it’s easy to feel discouraged. Rita is a big troll, but even her efforts might seem like she’ll never be able to beautify what’s been done to this land.
Yet, her name is Rita the Rock Planter. Planter, not Mover or Carrier or Handler.
She’s planting the rocks in the ground—and, in doing so, she’s planting the idea of returning this area to its pristine state in everyone who comes to see her. Rita is working hard, and she’s inviting her visitors to help her in that quest.
Parking for Rita the Rock Planter
Hiking trail from the lower parking lot up towards Rita the Rock Planter
When you turn off of Highway 67, you’ll find yourself in a small, flat gravel parking area just a few yards from the road.
To the far left of this parking lot, there are several pieces of old mining equipment. If you’re interested in learning more about this area’s mining, those pieces are a good place to start.
You have 2 choices when it comes to parking for Rita.
1) The lower parking lot that is right off of Highway 67.
2) The upper parking lot that’s another 5 minutes up Little Grouse Mountain.
The lower parking lot is less crowded, but you’re going to have to hike an extra half-mile, but it’s on an incline the entire way with little shade. I’d only recommend this way if you’re looking to get in extra steps for the day or you’d want to challenge yourself.
The upper parking lot is more crowded, but people seem to move in and out of here consistently—so, if you have to wait, it won’t be long.
This gravel lot is flat and is located steps from the remaining equipment from the now-defunct American Eagle mine.
How to View Rita the Troll
Trail Overview
Location: near Victor, Colorado
Rating: easy
Trail type: mostly flat with a defined gravel path
Length: approximately 0.5 miles round trip
If you’ve parked at the lower lot, you’ll want to ascend the trail running up the hillside paralleling Highway 67.
This trail will lead into the upper parking area, where you’ll find the American Eagle mine machinery.
Since this site is all about the interaction of nature and machinery, it’s well worth a half hour or so to look through the equipment left behind here at the trailhead. The different pieces of equipment have informational placards, so you can better understand what you’re seeing.
Walking through the defunct American Eagle mining buildings
You’ll see the vertical shaft where miners would be lowered down for their day’s work, the wenches and engines that pulled them back up, the blacksmith’s shop, and a small general store.
Once you’ve seen the mining equipment, it’s time to head out to see Rita!
To access the trail to Rita, you’ll go through the gate area in the fence near the old blacksmith’s shop. It is labeled with a small sign, but it’s usually easy to see where to go since this is a popular trail and people are usually moving in and out.
At this fence, you’ll see a sign with a short poem that Thomas Dambo wrote about Rita:
100 Suns—that is how long a
nap is for a Troll.
When Rita woke, her
mountainside had grown a hole!
The humans must have dug them
in search of shiny rocks.
Someone could fall in, so Rita went to tidy up.
Slip past the fence and the trail will slope gently down past the backs of the mining buildings. You’ll follow the trail as it curves down and to the left slightly.
The trail is well marked with rocks on either side and wide, grassy areas surrounding it. You’d have to try very hard NOT to follow the trail!
As you walk along the trail, Rita will be hidden from view for the first 1/8th of a mile or so behind a clump of trees, but you’ll quickly get your first glimpse of her.
At Rita the Rock Planter with my dad and the Camping Kiddos
(Because of the orientation of the trail to Rita, you’ll actually get a glimpse of her butt first, which my 7 year old found hilarious.)
This section of trail takes you right up to Rita. Plus, she’s so big that there’s no missing her out here on the cleared mountainside.
Like Dambo’s other trolls, Rita is made from a mixture of things: twigs, hewn wooden boards, wooden shingles, and painted pieces. She blends into her natural surroundings while still managing to stand out—mostly by the fact that she’s about 12 feet tall, even crouched over.
Spend some time examining Rita’s construction, noting how carefully each of the wooden pieces works within the whole to create something that feels both organic and human made.
You can take photos with Rita and even crawl underneath her for a bit of shelter.
Unlike some of Dambo’s other trolls, you shouldn’t climb on Rita as she’s not made for that sort of support.
Don’t forget to walk another 100 yards or so away from Rita to the beautiful overlook. Here, you’ll gaze past Aregua Gulch to the mountains in the distance.
When you’ve visited with Rita enough, hike back the way you came.
The Thomas Dambo trolls are one of our favorite ways to get our kids excited about hiking. Here are other tips for making hiking fun for kids!
What else can I do near Rita the Troll?
If you’re heading out into the rural area of Colorado in which Rita lives, make a day of your experience!
While Rita the Rock Planter is a bit off the beaten path, there are still plenty of things to do up this way.
Here are our favorite kid-friendly things to do near Rita the Rock Planter:
Take the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Tour.
In the late 1800s, Cripple Creek was booming, thanks to the large deposits of gold found in this area. Today, you can walk in the footsteps of the brave miners who went more than 1000 feet below the Earth’s surface to find that gold at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine.
This mine was established by the first woman to strike gold in this area, Mary “Mollie” Kathleen Gormer. She led the company from 1891 to her death in 1917; her family continued her legacy until the area mines shut down in 1961 when the area processing mill closed its doors.
You’ll take the same vertical elevator that miners used to, see gold in its natural vein, and ride on an underground mining train.
Learn about mining in Victor, Colorado.
Gold panning at the Victor Lowell Thomas Museum in Victor, Colorado
If the idea of going deep into the earth isn’t for you, but you still want to see how mining affected this area, head into the cute town of Victor, about 5 minutes from the parking lot at Rita the Rock Planter.
Here, you’ll find the Victor Lowell Thomas Museum on the corner of Victor Avenue and 3rd Street.
This 2 story museum is packed with informational signs and vintage mining equipment. There’s also a fascinating series of rooms upstairs that looks at the lives of the men, women, and children who lived here.
You can peek into a turn-of-the-century doctor’s office, see what kids would’ve done for fun, and learn about the ways people dressed in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
You’ll also learn about Victor’s most famous resident, journalist Lowell Thomas, in a series of panels upstairs.
Your entrance fee includes a 30-minute session of gold panning in the large trough outside the museum’s front door. They routinely stock the trough with semi-precious stones and tiny gold nuggets. The water is freezing, but it is fun!
Step into the past at the Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center.
Don't look behind you, Camping Kiddos!
On the way to (or from) seeing Rita, you’ll pass through Woodland Park on your way to Colorado Springs.
This dinosaur museum is located right off of Highway 24/East Midland Avenue, so it’s the perfect side trip.
Inside, you’ll be able to walk around dozens of dinosaur skeletons, including a T-rex.
My kids loved the room devoted to prehistoric marine animals, where you’ll find a replica of megalodon jaws.
The docents are helpful and happy to share knowledge on anything in the museum that catches your eye.
There are also detailed placards throughout the museum with historic and archeological information.
