Torres del Paine O Trek Closure: What Hikers Need to Know

If you're planning the O Trek in Torres del Paine, there's one thing worth knowing before you go: the northern section of the circuit can close at short notice when the weather turns.

Since last season, the park uses a new safety protocol that closes exposed sections preventively. This makes a closure more likely than in earlier seasons. If one does happen, it would typically be short, a day or two while the weather passes, and it's there to keep hikers off the pass when it's dangerous. It's worth planning for, not worrying about.

This guide explains how closures work, how to read the weather, and what to do if one affects your trek, whether it happens before you start or while you're on the trail.

Why closures happen: last season in brief

In November 2025, conditions around John Gardner Pass deteriorated rapidly into extreme wind, heavy snow and freezing temperatures, and a serious incident followed. CONAF closed the northern part of the O for around six weeks, and many hikers had to rebuild their plans at very short notice. The circuit reopened fully for self-guided hiking on January 1, 2026, under a completely revised Mountain Trail Safety Protocol, and that protocol is what shapes how closures work today.

How closures work now

Under the new protocol, CONAF monitors conditions and closes exposed sections preventively when wind, precipitation or temperature cross predefined thresholds. The protocol was developed with SENAPRED and the Dirección Meteorológica de Chile, and it comes with visitor registration, daily capacity controls and more rangers in critical areas. The idea is simple: close the pass before conditions become dangerous, rather than wait for an emergency.

Which section is affected

Closures concern the remote northern part of the circuit:

Serón → Dickson → Los Perros → John Gardner Pass → Grey

Because the O is a continuous loop, this section can't be bypassed on another trail.

A reservation doesn't override a closure

That is the point most travelers underestimate. If CONAF closes a section, you have to follow the closure, whatever you have booked beyond it.

Where closures are announced

Before heading out, check this website, where any closure is published. If you booked through TorresHike, we contact all affected clients and pass on information from the providers as soon as we receive it.

Weather and packing

Patagonia is famous for four seasons in one day: strong wind with sunshine, then cloud, rain and even hail, sometimes within an hour. On the O, wind is usually the deciding factor, and the forecast for Puerto Natales tells you very little about conditions on John Gardner Pass.

Where to check the forecast

• Mountain-Forecast: Paine Grande. Forecasts by altitude for the Paine massif. The 1,500 m level is a reasonable reference for the pass.
• Windy. Wind and gusts on a map, useful for seeing a storm system coming in from the Pacific.
• Meteoexploration: Torres del Paine. A mountain-weather forecast built specifically for the park.
• Dirección Meteorológica de Chile. The national weather service, which issues official weather alerts for the region. CONAF's closure thresholds were developed together with them.

Our recommendations

• Start watching a few days before you enter the park, so you can see how the weather is developing.
• Look at gusts, not average wind. A forecast of 40 km/h with gusts of 90 km/h means a very different day on the pass.
• Check again on the trail. Ask the rangers and campsite staff at Dickson and Los Perros. They have the most up-to-date information.
• The rangers' decision on the day is final. Even if the forecast looked fine, follow their instructions.

What to pack

The key is to dress in layers, for maximum comfort with minimum weight. Choose windproof, quick-drying materials and avoid cotton, which stays wet and cold. Even in summer, we strongly recommend:

• Microspikes (mini crampons)
• Trekking poles
• A waterproof jacket and trousers (Gore-Tex or similar)
• A fleece and a down jacket
• A warm hat that covers your ears, gloves and a buff
• Dry bags for your clothes, so you always have something dry for the evening
• Waterproof, ideally high-top boots that you've already broken in, plus blister patches

If the O closes before you start

If the northern section is closed before you set off, the best option is usually to switch to the W and start at Grey instead. This is also why we recommend the classic itinerary starting at Serón if you have a choice:

Serón → Dickson → Los Perros → Grey → Paine Grande → Francés/Cuernos → Chileno/Torres Central

All the vulnerable nights sit at the beginning, so you can usually drop the first three nights and continue from Grey. Starting elsewhere is much harder to adapt. If your itinerary begins with several nights on the W before moving north, a closure can leave you with bookings on both sides of the closed section and nowhere to stay in between, and the central campsites are usually full.

Starting at Grey is simple on paper but needs a bit of planning in practice, because you have to get there somehow.

Getting to Grey or Paine Grande

1. Bus to Pudeto, catamaran to Paine Grande, then walk to Grey. This is the usual route. The Pehoé catamaran crosses Lago Pehoé from Pudeto to Paine Grande. There is a trail cutoff time between Paine Grande and Grey, so the 10:30 sailing is the latest one that still lets you reach Grey the same day. Because of this, it often sells out months in advance.
2. Catamaran in the afternoon and sleep at Paine Grande. If you can get a night at Paine Grande, cross the day before and walk to Grey the next morning.
3. Private transfer to Pudeto for the 8:30 sailing. No public bus reaches Pudeto in time for the earliest crossing, so this only works with your own transport. Staying near Pudeto the night before is another way to catch it.
4. Lago Grey navigation. The Grey III boat sails from Hotel Lago Grey across the lake and stops at Refugio Grey, so you skip the catamaran altogether. All regular sailings stop at the refuge, but you need a one-way ticket to get off there (round-trip passengers can't disembark). The boat leaves from the hotel's beach, a 30–45 minute walk from the hotel, so plan transport to Hotel Lago Grey as well.

If there's any chance you'll need to start at Grey, the catamaran is the first thing to check, and it's worth booking ahead rather than leaving it until you're in Puerto Natales.

Changing your bus ticket

A Serón start usually means a bus to Laguna Amarga. If you switch to the W, you'll be entering at Pudeto instead, and possibly on a different day. Bus-Sur needs to know about this, because getting off at Pudeto instead of Laguna Amarga means a different ticket.

We normally handle changes like this for you. During a sudden closure, though, many hikers need changes at the same time, and it's usually much faster to contact Bus-Sur directly. Bus-Sur allows free changes up to 24 hours before departure.

1. Write to Bus-Sur on WhatsApp: wa.me/56996323559
2. Attach the bus voucher we sent you.
3. Tell them your name, your current bus (date, time and route), and the new date and time you need. Mention clearly that you'll now be getting off at Pudeto instead of Laguna Amarga.

If your end date changes as well, ask them to change your return bus in the same message.

If the O closes while you're on it

If the pass closes while you're on the northern section, what happens next is very individual. It depends on how long the closure is expected to last. Sometimes hikers are asked to wait at Los Perros until the pass reopens, sometimes they are asked to turn back. The campsite staff and park rangers on the ground have the most up-to-date information, so follow their instructions.

What Vértice guarantees

Vértice runs Dickson, Los Perros and Grey, and has a set protocol for trail closures:

• Short closure (24–48 hours) or longer (more than 48 hours): if you have to stay extra nights because of the closure, you get a camping spot at no cost.
• Extras are paid on site. Anything not covered by what you've already paid for the circuit, such as meals or rental gear, is charged.
• If the campsite is full, Vértice provides overflow capacity where possible, so every affected hiker has a place to stay.

Carry spare food

Los Perros has no hot meals, so it's worth carrying enough food for at least one extra day.

Don't rely on mobile signal

Large parts of the O have little or no coverage. Before leaving Puerto Natales, download offline maps, save your confirmations, and keep important contacts offline. If something changes on the trail, you may not be able to simply call someone and ask what to do.

If the O reopens with a guide requirement

There is a difference between a section that is closed and one that is open under conditions. In the second case, a certified guide can be the legitimate way through.

When the O first reopened at the end of December 2025, the northern section was accessible only to hikers travelling with a certified mountain guide. CONAF lifted that requirement on January 1, 2026, so it doesn't apply today. If it is ever reinstated, though, this is how it works.

What to expect

• Cost: typically around USD 120–180 per guide per day. You also cover the guide's accommodation and, depending on the arrangement, meals and other expenses.
• Only the northern section: you can hire a guide just for Serón → Grey rather than the full circuit.
• Group size: a maximum of six hikers per guide, so sharing a guide within a group makes a big difference to the cost per person.

Where to look

• Guides in Puerto Natales (Facebook group). The most direct way to reach guides working locally.
• Chile Adventure Guides

Check the certification before you book

Whoever you hire, make sure they appear on the official list of registered tourism service providers published by the Municipality of Torres del Paine. An uncertified guide won't satisfy a guide requirement, and you wouldn't be allowed through the section.

Refunds and insurance

The terms of accommodation providers, buses and catamarans generally state that weather conditions or trail closures are not a reason for a refund. You can't assume a campsite, bus or catamaran will refund your booking simply because CONAF closed a trail.

That's why we firmly recommend travel insurance. Look for a policy that specifically covers trail closures, severe weather, trip interruption, and additional accommodation or transport costs. Vértice itself strongly recommends insurance covering cancellations due to weather and force majeure. When you buy it, tell the insurer you're going trekking: not every policy covers adventure activities, so check the wording before you travel.

What we can and can't do

If you book through TorresHike, we help you communicate with the providers, explain your options, and assist with changes where the provider allows them. We can't override the conditions of Vértice, Las Torres, Bus-Sur, the catamaran operator or CONAF. The final decision about a refund belongs to the relevant provider.

Torres del Paine is a wilderness area, not a fixed itinerary. You can reserve every campsite and plan every hiking day, but once you're in Patagonia the final decision always depends on the conditions on the ground. That shouldn't put you off the O. It means planning with a bit of flexibility, and accepting that a successful trek doesn't have to follow the original itinerary exactly as booked.

The O remains one of the most rewarding ways to experience Torres del Paine. Just treat the northern section, and especially John Gardner Pass, with the respect it deserves.