Mama Loumari isn’t actually hidden along Breckenridge’s Sawmill Trail — she lives more than 700 miles away in Bernheim Forest, Kentucky. The troll genuinely tucked into the woods near Breckenridge is her husband in artist Thomas Dambo’s fairy tale, a fellow named Isak Heartstone. If you scouted the trailheads around town looking for “Mama Loumari” and came up empty, ’tis not your fault — the two trolls share a story, a creator, and a whole lot of internet confusion.
So Who Is Mama Loumari, Really?
Mama Loumari is one of three “Forest Giants” built by Danish sculptor Thomas Dambo out of recycled and regional wood. She, along with Little Nis and Little Elina, live at the 16,137-acre Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest in Clermont, Kentucky, crafted by Dambo to help Bernheim celebrate its 90th anniversary in 2019. In the sculptures, she’s depicted mid-pregnancy, resting against a tree while her two children wander the forest nearby.
Dambo didn’t just drop these giants into the woods and walk away, either. He wrote them into a running fairy tale that connects every troll he builds. In that story, the patriarch of the family is Isak Heartstone, who was originally placed in Breckenridge, Colorado, but was eventually removed after the community complained about the crowds flocking to see him. Mama Loumari is his wife. That’s the whole connection — and it’s why so many people typing “Mama Loumari Breckenridge” into a search bar end up a little astray.
Where Is the Real Troll in Breckenridge, Then?
The troll actually waiting for you in the woods of Breckenridge goes by Isak Heartstone, and he’s become something of a local legend in his own right. He’s a 15-foot wooden sculpture built by Thomas Dambo, completed in 2018 as an exhibit for the Breckenridge International Festival of Arts. As for that name, a group of visitors reportedly brought a heart-shaped stone to the troll as a gift, and Dambo decided it was a perfect fit, permanently working the stone into the sculpture — and the name stuck.
These days you’ll find him along the Trollstigen Trail. This short, whimsical path winds through the woods to Isak Heartstone, the 15-foot wooden troll originally built for the Breckenridge International Festival of Arts, which now welcomes thousands of visitors each year. The trailhead sits behind the ice arena. It’s located in the southeast corner of the Stephen C. West Ice Arena parking lot, next to Illinois Gulch Trailhead.
Nearby, the actual Sawmill Trail is its own separate, well-loved stretch of dirt near downtown. Sawmill Trail offers great views and is easily accessible from town, beginning at the bottom of the Snowflake Lift and following a stream up toward a reservoir, near the intersection of Four O’Clock Road and Kings Crown Road. It’s an easy, shady family walk — just not where Isak makes his home. Plenty of visitors lump the two hikes into one town-center adventure day, which is likely how the trail names got crossed in searches to begin with.
The Family Legend Dambo Wrote Between Colorado and Kentucky
Here’s where it gets charming. Dambo didn’t want Isak’s story to end with a quiet trailhead in the mountains, so he decreed that his troll had a whole family waiting on him. In the story he titled “While the Weather Got Better,” Isak spent the winter visiting his family in Kentucky — where his wife, Loumari, and two children, Elina and Nis, live — and while there, Isak and Loumari conceived another baby, but once the seasons started to turn, Isak felt the call of the High Country.
Dambo has said the appeal runs deeper than a cute bedtime story. “I think a lot of people like to hear about these old folklore stories — like knights on horses, stories from the old days of Europe — and trolls are part of the old folklore and the old mythology,” he explained. It’s a clever bit of world-building: two towns, two states, one wandering wooden giant tying them together every spring and fall.
Why Isak Had to Move (Twice)
Before you go hunting for him, heed this bit of history — Isak’s Colorado story wasn’t always peaceful. He was originally installed in a different spot entirely. When Isak’s popularity exploded beyond expectations, drawing thousands of visitors even on weekdays, residents of the densely populated Wellington neighborhood felt overrun by illegal parking, litter, and unbecoming crowd behavior, which eventually led the town council to reverse an earlier decision and dispatch a deconstruction crew to evict the troll. He came down in pieces. Piece by piece, Isak came down early in the morning on November 15.
But a troll, once loved, doesn’t stay gone for long. The town and Dambo struck a deal, and Dambo brokered an arrangement to rebuild Isak in Illinois Creek behind the ice rink, bringing him back to life in early May using 15,000 screws and 3,500 pieces of recycled wood. That’s the Isak you’ll meet today — reassembled, relocated, and settled into a spot with room enough for the crowds.
How to Find Isak Heartstone Today
Visiting is simple, but a few local rules apply. There’s nowhere to park right at the trail, so plan accordingly. Isak Heartstone stands along the Trollstigen Trail behind the Stephen C. West Ice Arena, and visitors are asked to walk, bike, or use public transportation since there’s no nearby parking.
The path itself has gotten friendlier to more travelers in recent years. In summer 2024, the Trollstigen Trail was upgraded to better welcome all visitors, and while the surface isn’t perfectly smooth, it is firm, compacted, and designed to support a wider range of mobility needs. Give yourself twenty unhurried minutes, camera ready, and don’t be surprised if you’re sharing the trail with a line of other pilgrims come to pay their respects to a 15-foot wooden giant.
Can You Visit Both Trolls on One Trip?
Technically, yes — but you’ll need to cross state lines to see the whole family reunited. Isak stays put in Breckenridge year-round, while Mama Loumari and the kids hold down the fort at Bernheim Forest, about a two-hour drive from Cincinnati. If a Colorado-to-Kentucky troll pilgrimage sounds like too much for one summer, you can at least console yourself knowing you’ve met the head of the household. Isak may spend his fictional winters with his family back east, but come summer, he’s every bit a Breckenridge local.
Quick FAQ
Is Mama Loumari a real sculpture people can visit?
Yes — she’s real, but she’s not in Colorado. She stands in Bernheim Forest near Clermont, Kentucky, alongside her two children, Little Nis and Little Elina.
What is the actual name of the Breckenridge troll?
Isak Heartstone. He’s the 15-foot troll on the Trollstigen Trail near the Stephen C. West Ice Arena.
Is the troll located on the Sawmill Trail?
No. Sawmill Trail is a separate, nearby family hike that starts at the Snowflake Lift and heads to Sawmill Reservoir. Isak lives on the Trollstigen Trail near Illinois Gulch.
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.
