La Leona Petrified Forest

Enjoy a full day out on the Patagonian steppe. This adventure is designed for those that like to hike in wide open spaces. You will explore a palaeontological site packed full of large petrified tree trunks over 1.2 meters in diameter and heaps of fragments of dinosaur bones as well as large whole dinosaur pieces. Departing East from El Calafate, turn left at "highway" 40 and drive North. Travel mostly trough open steppe with magnificent views of the lake Argentino, cross mighty Santa Cruz river, coast along the valley of La Leona river and panoramic sight of the Southern Andes and mount Fitz Roy.

Near the top, there is a large depression formed by water erosion where most of the fossils can be found. Here, go down steep inclines of loose, dry, claylike soil and explore a seemingly endless system of gorges and ravines almost saturated with petrified wood that "sprouts" from the soil. You will see tree trunks in diameter that range from 0.5 to 1.2 meters, heaps of fossilized broken bones and occasionally whole leg bones of large reptiles (still in the process of being identified). This area sits in a microclimate so dress in layers and expect to get warmer as you walk down the ravines. After 3 hours of walking, return to El Calafate in the early afternoon.