Aug 19, 2023
Written By: J.Couch
Nestled in the heart of Colorado’s stunning landscapes lies a hidden gem that’s capturing the hearts and imaginations of those who venture out to find it. Just a few hours’ drive from the bustling city of Denver, the town of Cripple Creek and Victor welcomes you with its unique and whimsical attraction: Rita the Rock Planter Troll. Well, it was time for a Colorado road trip. We headed south to find the newest troll to Colorado, Rita. Since we had just seen the new troll, Ole Bolle, in Portland, we decided to check out the new one here. It’s not close by any means, it’s about a 2 to 2 ½ hour drive south of Denver.
On our drive, we decided to go up into the mountains, head south and explore the beautiful scenery along the way instead of taking I25 south to Colorado Springs. As you leave behind the city’s skyscrapers and urban hustle and bustle, the scenery gradually transforms into sweeping mountain views, lush forests, and expansive meadows. It was a beautiful drive along the South Platte River down through Deckers then on to Woodland Park. From there we headed southwest to Divide and then south around the west side of Pikes Peak. Again, all of this area is very pretty and worth the drive if you have some extra time.
We stopped in Cripple Creek to check out this small gold mining town that has been here for more than a hundred and thirty years. It sits at an elevation of 9494 feet (2,894 m) at the base of Cripple Creek & Victor Gold Mine, which I am not sure if they are building that mountain up or tearing it down. In its prime of gold mining there were up to 50,000 people living there, now the population sits around 1,200. The town consists mostly of casinos, a few restaurants and shops. Not many vegan options that we found here. There is a 45-minute narrow gauge train ride that takes you by some of the historic mines along the mountain side. We were going to do this but the time that we wanted to go, it was almost full other than an open car if we wanted to sit in the sun. We decided to walk around and check out the town. After a quick look around, at a few shops that have survived covid pandemic, we headed south to Little Grouse Mountain Overlook turn off.
Below are a few of the old photos that I found of Cripple Creek from the Denver Library Digital Collections.
If you are looking for Rita, we did not see any signs for it other than the stream of cars pulling in there. We found a parking spot and then took the short walk down to see her. She is built out on this point that has a stunning view of the mountains to the west. It is similar to the other trolls that we have seen but this one is on all fours pushing a bunch of rocks into a pile. Like all of the other trolls, this too is built with recycled materials. There were a lot of people there to see her too and most of the people were very considerate in letting people take pictures. Some were not, always a few in the bunch.
If you have some time, take another short walk down the path to the west and sit on the bench overlooking the valley below. It’s a stunning view and worth the break.
On the way back we looped through Victor and checked out a few shops there too. They actually seemed to have a few more shops and we’re in the process of fixing up some more with the hopes of the crowds that will be stopping through on their travels to find Rita.
Overall, we had a great day and nice road trip. If you are interested in the trolls then it is worth the trip out there to check her out. You can find more information at the trollmap. Maybe the next one we go see is the one in Jackson, WY? Another longer road trip ahead? Maybe, we will see?
Thanks for wandering with us,
The Wandering Couchs
