trip report by site editor Rick McCharles
Click PLAY or watch my HOW TO video on YouTube.
As many do on this popular hike, I walked from El Bolsón, centro. Three hours of dusty, but tranquil road walking to get to the parking lot.
(Actually, I tried a trail alternative recommended on my Maps.me app. Bad idea, as it turned out. Coming down I stuck to the road.)
Taxi would cost at least $25. Drivers don’t like going up here. You MIGHT be able to join up with others to split the cost at a collectivo office near the Via Bariloche bus station.
It took me about 4 hours to reach the Piltriquitrón hut and campground.
After a brief siesta I headed over to the nearby El Bosque Tallado (carved forest). $5 entrance.
There are over 50 crude wooden sculptures with new ones being added. A fire in 1978 inspired lead artist Marcelo López to initiate this tourist attraction.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.
The refuge has a superb location. People can’t get enough of the vistas.
I enjoyed dinner at sunset, myself, overlooking El Bolsón.
Alpenglow was lovely this evening. I didn’t edit this photo.
I was on the summit trail by 9am next morning.
Pack horses were grazing free.
Easy going until the final scramble before the top.
There’s a 360 degree vista from the peak.
A German living in El Bolson just spend 5 days up in those craggy, intensely glaciated peaks. Because there are no alpine huts, he had that wilderness to himself.
I could clearly see Tronador volcano about 100km distant.
I had done the 1800m ascent over 2 days.
I was back down to the hut by Noon. Back to town, very tired, by 3pm. That’s 1800m of descent.
Supposedly it’s easy to hitchhike back down from Piltriquitrón. I had no luck.
I saw the carved forest on an episode of Globe Trekkers, I have wanted to see it ever since, nice post thanks for sharing.