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We've compiled the best of the best in The Lake District - browse our top choices for the top things to see or do during your stay.
Found only in this part of the Andes, the ancient Araucaria araucana (monkey puzzle) tree grows to 30 meters (100 feet) and has long spiny branches. Cones the size of bowling balls are full of pinon nuts that provide nourishment to the Mapuche, who call these trees pehuenes. The northern portion of the park near Lago Huechulafquen and Aluminé is one of the best places to view these peculiar giants.
About 1 km (½ mile) from the base of Cerro Piltriquitrón, you'll find fire-damaged beech trees that have been carved over the years by 13 notable Argentine artists. Thirty-one monumental sculptures transform the dead forest into a living gallery. Tours can be arranged through local agencies.
Head 20 km (12 miles) north of El Bolsón to see the Cascada de la Virgen, one of the area's loveliest waterfalls. It's most impressive in spring, when the runoff from the mountain descends in a series of three cascades visible from the road from Bariloche.
The Mapuche name of this 2,260-meter (7,415-foot) granite ridge means "mountain hung with clouds," which is a fair description of the peak itself. What it leaves out, however, is the array of sights and activities to be enjoyed on the way up: miradores, a paragliding pad, the Bosque Tallado, and a homey refugio (cabin) run by Club Andino Piltriquitrón where you can rest at the halfway mark. In summer, the lodge is surrounded by wildflowers, but in every season, the views extend all the way to Lago Puelo and the Chilean border.
Covering some 100 square km (40 square miles), this azure mirror is the largest of Parque Nacional Lanín's 24 lakes. It's also one of the prettiest, offering woods, beaches, and views of snowy Volcán Lanín from every part of the vicinity. Boat cruises of the lake and of neighboring Lago Epulafquen depart from Puerto Canoa on the northwestern shore, and there are abundant campgrounds all along the perimeter. Popular treks include those to El Saltillo waterfall in the north, and to El Escorial, a petrified river of black lava, to the southwest. The lake is a two-hour drive from San Martín de los Andes.
