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Greetings and welcome to the final day of my W trek in Chilean Patagonia. Over the last four posts, I have shared the ups and the downs of our time in Torres del Paine National Park, the comedy of errors and the tiny wins that kept us moving. I hope you have found something to laugh at, something useful for planning, and a little spark to go chase your own version of this trail. This day is not without excitement or important details, so let’s go.
The 3 a.m. Wake-Up and Why Sunrise
Our alarms went off around 3 a.m. Yikes. There are two ways to really see the Towers viewpoint. You can tackle them on Day 1, which means hiking more than twelve miles and gaining roughly 3,000 feet, or you can save them for the final morning and go for sunrise before trekking down. If you partake in the sunrise, there are logistics to juggle. Like refugio check out, the hike down and bus schedules. We always knew we were doing the sunrise version, so when that blaring beep cut through the tent, it basically said, “get your asses hiking.”
We layered up, skipped teeth brushing for speed (sorry, Mom), and started moving. The afternoon before, we had found the start of the trail from Chileno so it would not be confusing when we were bleary-eyed and fumbling for headlamps. Of course, it was raining. At 3 a.m., the weather should be none of my business frankly, but Patagonia does what it wants. The first stretch was lovely and mostly gentle, mini rolling hills on wooded paths and forest trails, soft dirt underfoot and the quiet crunch of boots.
The Sign in the Dark
Our first hiccup came in a forested section where the trees opened to a ridge clearing. A large sign said the trail was closed until 6 a.m. I am pretty sure there was a rope across the path too. It was raining, it was the middle of the night and my brain was working at half power. But the message seemed clear. Other hikers were stopped there as well, milling under the canopy and peering out into the wind and drizzle.
We sat and thought it through. People do this sunrise push every day, so how did we miss this detail? Technically, night hiking is not approved anywhere in Torres del Paine National Park, which explains the sign and rope. In practice, many hikers continue. Keep that context in mind and hike with caution if you plan to see the towers at sunrise. After a quick huddle with the small group around us, we decided to go on.
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Wind, Rock, and the Headlamp Parade
The ridge continued and the character of the trail changed. Dirt gave way to rock and trees. First came long runs of rock steps, then the kind of boulder hopping that sets your thighs on fire. Not climbing in the literal sense, but big steps up and around, squeezing between boulders, hands out for balance, poles clacking against stone.
It was giving Mt. Everest summit vibes, a slow procession with each hiker following closely behind the last. Through rain and headlamps I had no idea what was going on beyond three feet of visibility in front of me. I just kept climbing and following the leader. It was an absolute mind f*ck, in the way only a pitch-black boulder climbing can be. You look one to three steps ahead, step from giant rock to giant rock, and have no sense of who is in front or how many switchbacks are left. The trees thinned. Space opened. Far up the slope, a galaxy of headlamps danced in the distance and then in the even farther distance, making me think, “omg how much further.”
The final approach crosses a boulder field as you get closer to the Towers and the lake. There are poles stuck in the ground to keep you on the path, but at 4 a.m., in rain and wind, who is really seeing those. We moved carefully, testing each foothold and keeping our eyes on the trail of light at our feet.
Claiming a Boulder and Waiting It Out
We reached the viewpoint zone and found a huge rock that offered both a seat and a wind break. We parked right in front of it, close enough to the lake that no one could pop in front of us and also slightly protected from the gusts. Even with four layers on top and two on the bottom, the cold moved straight through the gaps and settled in my bones. The rain had finally stopped, but the wind stayed present, needling every exposed inch of skin.
We huddled together and waited. I may have fallen asleep for twenty minutes, that strange pre-dawn micro-nap you take sitting upright while your brain still hums. Having a solid sunrise spot was great, but getting there so early and waiting was a bit difficult. The payoff, though, would be worth it.
Sunrise That Earned the Hype
As the horizon softened, sunrise gave us a slow-motion color show. Pastel blues and purples shifted to fiery oranges and pinks as the light climbed. The towers caught and held it like beacons. This was the moment we had spent five days working toward, and seeing it bloom right in front of us felt unreal.
Low clouds hovered over the tips for a while, teasing us, then slowly lifted and blew away. And if you can believe it, we got a rainbow crossing over the towers. Unreal is the only word that fits. We took the necessary photos, put our phones away, and just looked. I can still feel the sting of cold on my cheeks and that warm, fuzzy feeling in my chest.
Daylight, Knees, and Gravity
We started down when feeling returned to our fingers. Seeing the route in daylight was… illuminating (heh). The rock gardens that felt endless in the dark looked orderly in the morning, cairns and poles easier to spot, boot paths suddenly obvious. As I began the descent, my right knee chimed in. I do not have chronic knee problems and I had been seeing a PT before the trip, but that patellar tendon picked this moment to file a formal complaint.
After packing up the rest of our gear at Chileno, we began our hike down to Centre & Norte. We had an absolutely jam packed schedule that began at 3 a.m. and wouldn’t end until about 8 p.m. that night. The day looked like this:
- 3 a.m. sunrise hike
- Pack up the remainder of our gear at Chileno
- 6 miles back down to Centre & Norte
- *Hopefully, a cocktail at Las Torres Hotel, time permitting*
- Catch a shuttle bus to the park entrance
- Take our 3 p.m. bus for 2 hours back to Puerto Natales
- Pick up our stored luggage from the bus station
- Take a taxi to our rental car pickup (we rented a car to drive to Argentina)
- Dinner with a friend who was just about to begin her W Trek
- Finally, sleep at our very cute Domos.
Whew !
Across the Ascensio and Toward Real Lunch
We departed Chileno and I immediately popped ibuprofen to ease my my knee pain and moved carefully through the steepest bits until the medicine kicked in. The sun came out and with it my mood. The trail stays steep for long stretches, and a little controlled jog was easier on the big steps than a slow stomp. We passed a stream of day hikers coming up for the late-morning view. I was a tiny bit jealous of the sunshine and blue skies they might get at the lake, but I was not jealous of the climb they had ahead. I do not remember much flat until the very end.
Lower down, another suspension bridge appeared. We crossed the teal Ascensio River, the same ribbon we had seen threading the canyon near Windy Pass. At that point my brain pivoted to the Hotel Las Torres. We had planned to stop there for lunch and a very deserved cocktail before catching our buses.
As the hotel came into view, my mouth watered for French fries and tequila. I would pretty much pay anything at this point. We dropped our packs next to a parade of other dusty backpacks on the covered porch, used very clean, very nice bathrooms, and were seated inside. Honestly, this could have been a fast-food joint and I would still have been euphoric, but Las Torres is genuinely lovely after days of trail food.
The cocktails were out of this world. I ordered one that came with a slightly smoking cinnamon stick. It was truly delicious, regardless of the five days of backpacking that preceded it. We ate, we drank, and we talked through our favorite tiny moments from the trek, the ones you forget unless you pause to say them out loud.
Shuttle, Bus Shuffle, and How to Keep Your Seat
Fed and happy, we walked to the shuttle stop. This shuttle takes you from the hotel area back to the entrance where everyone shows park paperwork on the way in. The waiting building had souvenirs, bathrooms, and vending machines, a painless place to sit and reboot. When the shuttle rolled up, we loaded our stuff and headed for the transfer point to the larger bus to Puerto Natales.
At the next station, we found a friendly sea of weary hikers, packs everywhere, boots off, people slumped against walls with that half-asleep smile. Our bus was at 3:00 p.m. Getting back to Puerto Natales is usually simpler than leaving, but this staging area can get lively. Folks with later tickets sometimes try to board earlier buses, which can throw a wrench in the process.
What worked for us: load your things into the bus hold as soon as boarding begins and be direct with the driver about your ticket. When you book, it is for a specific time and seat. As long as you can show that you belong on that bus, you should be good. Hold firm. Do not let people with later tickets nudge you out of your spot. Be polite, be clear, and you will be fine.
Once we were in our seats on that lovely air-conditioned coach, sleep arrived fast. A book in my hands never felt heavier.
The W Trek Bottom Line
There it is, about seventeen hundred words on our final day of the W Trek: a 3 a.m. start in the rain, a ridge walk into rock steps and boulder hops, a sunrise that shifted from blue to pink to fire, a rainbow, a perfect drink at Las Torres, and the satisfying clunk of a bus seat under tired legs.
I am not a huge camper and this was the longest backpacking trip I had ever done, and still have done. It was worth the hours of travel, the wrong turns, the flapping tents, and the tendonitis. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Honestly, if you need a buddy for your trek, say the word.
If you want to know exactly what I would do differently check out my post here that highlights just that. If you are ready to plan your own Chilean Patagonia adventure, my Patagonia 101 post is here .
Thanks for reading. If you have questions, reach out. I am always happy to help fellow travelers and new backpackers with honest, practical feedback.
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