Jakob Two Trees is a 14-foot troll sculpture built by Danish artist Thomas Dambo out of recycled wood, tucked into the forest along the Rainier Trail behind the Issaquah Community Center in Issaquah, Washington. He’s part of Dambo’s “Northwest Trolls: Way of the Bird King” series, and he’s easy to reach on foot — no permits, no fees, just a short walk down a paved path in the Issaquah Alps foothills.
If you’ve never heard of Thomas Dambo, you’re not alone, but you’ve probably seen his work without knowing it. He’s built more than a hundred giant troll sculptures out of scrap wood in over twenty countries, and Jakob is one of six he installed across the Pacific Northwest in 2023.
Who Is Jakob Two Trees?
True to his name, Jakob clings to two mature trees. Of all the Pacific Northwest trolls, he looks the most gentle and welcoming of human visitors. His face is neither stern nor mischievous. One local hiker who wrote about him put it simply: “I would even call it friendly.”
He’s built the way all of Dambo’s trolls are — fashioned entirely out of recycled materials, specifically to amplify the connections of cultural heritage between the Coast Salish tribe communities and Danish/Scandinavian traditions. That collaboration isn’t just a line in a press release, either. It shows up in the details.
Jakob stands around 14 feet tall, looking down at passersby who walk near him on the trail. He is the first troll to have a ponytail, with a band made by the Snoqualmie Tribe holding his hair in place. He wears a necklace of birdhouses over his fur, inviting forest creatures to come spend an afternoon with him. A local trails club that watched him get built noted Jakob is the first member of the troll family to don a ponytail fashioned from foraged sticks and held together with a band from the Snoqualmie tribe.
That pairing of Scandinavian troll folklore with Coast Salish craftsmanship is the whole point of the project. As the city describes it, the series is part of an underlying environmental story. The project reinforces the shared values of environmental stewardship for watershed protection, restoration, and preservation of riparian habitats. It also celebrates the human experience of art by amplifying the connections of cultural heritage between Coast Salish tribal communities and Scandinavian traditions.
Volunteers Helped Build Him
Jakob didn’t just appear overnight. Volunteers aided in dismantling the pallets for use, while Thomas Dambo and his team were in charge of assembly. If you look closely once you’re standing in front of him, check out his hands — one favorite detail among people who watched him take shape is the fingernails on his hands.
Where Is Jakob Two Trees Located?
Jakob lives just outside downtown Issaquah, in the lowland forest below the Issaquah Alps. Nestled in a forest in the lowlands of the Issaquah Alps and on the Rainier Trail, this troll is named “Jakob 2 Trees.”
Getting to him is refreshingly simple. If you start at the Issaquah Community Center (301 Rainier Blvd S, Issaquah, WA 98027) and walk south on the paved Rainier Trail past the Dog Park, you will find Jakob several minutes down the trail. Most visitors report it’s roughly a quarter mile from the parking lot, and one guide notes the troll is a short two-minute walk from the community center along the trail.
Not sure you’re headed the right way? Look up. Look for a tower of whimsical, colorful birdhouses as a wayfinder to know you’re on the right path. Once you spot that, Jakob isn’t far.
The trail itself is worth knowing a bit about, too. Stretching about 2.5 miles from end to end, Rainier Trail is fully paved and ADA-accessible, so you can bring bikes or scooters to explore more of the trail during your troll-hunting adventure. Leashed dogs are welcome on Rainier Trail, and there is even a dog park down the trail from the community center. If you need a bathroom break before or after, public restrooms can be found at the Issaquah Community Center Monday through Friday from 7am to 9pm and on Saturdays 8am to noon.
Why Is He Called “Two Trees”?
The name isn’t a random flourish. Jakob is literally built between and around a pair of living trees, so his body seems to grow right out of the forest floor. Visitors have noted it’s easy enough to walk to the back of the troll either through the legs, or around the tree trunk. That detail is part of what makes him feel less like a statue plopped into the woods and more like something that’s always been there.
Is Jakob Two Trees Part of a Bigger Project?
Yes. Jakob is one piece of a much larger regional installation. The NW Troll project, themed “Way of the Bird King,” includes six sites in the Pacific Northwest where Danish environmental artist Thomas Dambo is installing large-scale whimsical trolls. The rest of the troll family is scattered around the greater Seattle area and down into Oregon: the other trolls are on Bainbridge Island; Ballard, Seattle; Portland, Vashon Island and West Seattle.
Each one has its own personality and name. On Vashon Island, you can meet the namesake of the entire Pacific Northwest project: Oscar the Bird King, found at Point Robinson. In Ballard, Frankie Feetsplinter keeps watch at the entrance to the National Nordic Museum right on Market Street. Over in West Seattle, Bruun Idun is West Seattle’s troll, stationed near the Colman Pool in Lincoln Park, singing to the orcas in the Salish Sea.
Dambo didn’t just build these trolls remotely and ship them out, either. Dambo and his crew took a road trip across the United States, stopping in various places to create troll sculptures in parks and natural spaces, with the last leg of the trip bringing him to the Pacific Northwest, where he and his team constructed six unique trolls right in the region.
How Long Will Jakob Stay in Issaquah?
This is the question everyone asks once they meet him, and the honest answer is: nobody knows for certain, but the city is trying. By virtue of the recycled materials, the Trolls are intended to be temporary installations for the public to enjoy for several years. Issaquah Parks will maintain Jakob, in consultation with Thomas Dambo and his team as needed.
Locals seem attached to him already. Because Jakob Two Trees lives right in town, he’s remained very popular since his debut, and the city of Issaquah hopes to keep Jakob Two Trees for many years to come. He’s already proven sturdier than you’d expect from a sculpture made of pallet wood — the giant wooden troll that lives along the Rainier Trail near the Issaquah Community Center survived a bomb cyclone that ripped through the area unscathed.
Planning Your Visit
There’s no admission fee and no reservation needed. Park at the Issaquah Community Center, walk south on the Rainier Trail, and follow the birdhouse tower until Jakob comes into view between his two trees. Go early or on a weekday if you can — you may need to wait for the crowds to disperse to get close on a sunny weekend day.
While you’re in the area, it’s worth stretching the trip a little further. Stop by the Issaquah Salmon Hatchery for a dose of wildlife, since although it’s open to the public year-round, autumn is the most active salmon viewing time, and throughout September and October visitors can watch thousands of native salmon returning to their waters of origin. And if the walk works up an appetite, Boehm’s Candies and Chocolates has been a local favorite for over 80 years and makes a fitting reward after a troll hunt.
Jakob Two Trees isn’t flashy or scary the way some troll art can be. He’s built to feel like part of the forest, standing quiet guard over a paved path that families, dog walkers, and cyclists already used every day. That’s really the charm of Dambo’s whole project — he doesn’t ask you to travel somewhere remote to find magic. Sometimes it’s just a quarter mile down a trail you already know.
NOTE TO THE ADVENTURER: This guide is meant to spark curiosity for what lies beyond the horizon — not to serve as a guarantee. Roads fall into disrepair, buildings are torn down and rebuilt, and properties change hands; 'tis your responsibility to do your own research before setting out. Always heed local and regional law, and always respect ground that isn't your own. Take every entry here as a suggestion, not a decree. This guide's contents were gathered with the aid of artificial intelligence, and like any scout, it will from time to time lead you astray. You assume all risk in following its counsel, and neither this blog nor its author is liable for any loss, injury, or misfortune that results.
