Bosque Tallado

A fire in the 1970s killed a stand of lenga on the slope of Cerro Piltriquitrón above El Bolsón, leaving grey trunks standing on the mountainside. In 1998 sculptors began carving them where they stood, and the Bosque Tallado now holds several dozen works cut directly into the dead wood: faces, animals, figures and abstract forms weathering slowly on an open slope at around 1,400 metres with the valley spread out below. The site is reached by a steep road to a car park and refuge, then a marked path up through the remaining forest. Because the material is dead wood exposed to Patagonian weather, the collection changes: pieces decay and fall, and new ones are carved to replace them.

What to look for

• The carved trunks - sculptures cut into standing burnt lenga.
• The valley view - El Bolsón and the ranges from 1,400 metres.
• The forest path - the climb from the car park through living woodland.
• The refuge - the simple mountain hut at the trailhead.

When to go

November to April, when the access road is reliably open; snow closes it in winter and it is rough and steep at any time. Mornings are clearest for the view. The site is exposed, so weather can turn quickly.

Good to know

The access road is unpaved, steep and hard on ordinary cars; many visitors take a local transfer. The walk up is short but continuously uphill at altitude. Sculptures rot and collapse over time, so the collection is uneven in condition.

Nearby

El Bolsón lies below; the summit trail on Piltriquitrón continues above the refuge.

Key facts