(Mis)Adventure on Cerro Castillo, Patagonia (Travel Diaries Day 46)

During our sabbatical in South America, Reid and I had the once-in-a-lifetime chance of going on a roadtrip down the famous Ruta 7 in Patagonia, also known as Carretera Austral. It winds through some spectacular national parks and reserves, incredible mountain views, hanging glaciers, lakes, tiny charming fishing villages, and much more. You can read the full adventure here.

As we learned more about the hikes along the Carretera, we knew we couldn’t just drive past Cerro Castillo, one of the most talked-about treks in the region.

Cerro Castillo literally means "Mountain Castle", and once you see it, you understand why. Its peak has a very peculiar and unique shape, marked by jagged spires that really do look like a decaying stone castle. Like most famous mountains in Patagonia, Cerro Castillo also towers over a glacier-fed lagoon that glows in a bright shade of blue.

There are several ways to explore the area. You can tackle it as a multi-day circuit (4 days, about 55 km, pretty rugged and wild) or as a day hike to the lagoon viewpoint: a tough but rewarding 14 km round trip with 1,200 meters of elevation gain. We went with the day hike. Ambitious enough for us!

So, how did it go?

She had no idea what she was getting into...

The morning of the hike, we drove up to the trailhead at Las Horquetas Grandes, just outside the village of Villa Cerro Castillo. We were welcomed by a friendly park ranger, who hit us with the news that due to dangerous strong winds, we were only allowed to go up to the second checkpoint, about 5 km in and nowhere near the lagoon viewpoint.

Reid wasn’t feeling 100% that day, and for a moment we considered skipping. But we were already there, and even half the trail sounded better than nothing. So we set off, telling ourselves we’d just enjoy a forest walk. We paid the not exactly cheap entrance fee of 18.000 CLP (~18 USD per person) and started our hike.

The trail started somewhat flat, but after the first couple kilometers it became very steep! Within minutes we were huffing and puffing, stopping every so often to catch our breath. Still, it was beautiful: lush forest, patches of light streaming through the trees, and friendly cows chilling and grazing around.

Beautiful day at Cerro Castillo NP!

By the time we reached the second checkpoint, we were sweaty and panting, but proud. We were met by another park ranger. She greeted us happily and casually said: “You can continue to the viewpoint, if you want. It’s windy, but okay. Just be careful.”

Reid and I exchanged a look. We were already halfway up, and this was our chance to see the lagoon. How could we turn back now?

We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into.

The forest ended, and suddenly the trail turned into a rocky scramble. That’s when the wind showed its true power. The gusts so strong we had to crouch down and wait it out to avoid being knocked over. "Windy, but okay?! Are we sure?", I wondered as I clinged to my hiking poles.

Eventually, after what felt like forever, we made it to the top. The sight was everything we had hoped for. But soon we realized that we were completely alone up there. At first I thought, wow, how lucky to have such a famous viewpoint all to ourselves! Then a big gust of wind nearly knocked me over and I thought, ohhh… maybe there’s a reason no one else is here 😅.

I guess there is a reason why we were the only ones up there?!

We tried to take it all in, but standing was nearly impossible. We scrambled down to sit on a rock, hoping for some shelter, and pulled out the camera for a quick video. That’s when another massive gust slammed into us. The only thing left to do was flatten ourselves against the rock, laughing nervously while silently hoping we wouldn’t be blown off the mountain. For a split second, I caught myself thinking: is this how people end up in those survival documentaries? 😅

That was our cue. Time to get down.

Fueled by adrenaline (and the desire to get off that mountain ASAP), we basically half-ran back down. It took only 30 minutes to reach the checkpoint, half the time it took us going up. But it wasn’t graceful: the trail was dry, dusty, and slippery, one of my hiking poles snapped, and with the wind pushing at my back I managed to fall on my butt not once, not twice, but three times, Reid laughing behind me for the comical situation.

Getting the hell outta here ASAP

Looking back, the Cerro Castillo hike was one of the most exhilarating experiences of our Carretera Austral road trip. But it was also an eye-opening experience as for the first time in my life I was faced with the unpredictability of the weather on a mountain.

Up until then, most of my hikes had been in easy and safe conditions, and while we were never really in danger (I tend to dramatize and exaggerate this story 😉), it helped me understand to never underestimate the weather when hiking.

I was so happy when we finally got back to our accommodation. We freshened up, sat outside the patio, cracked open a celebratory beer and raised it to the same peak we had been clinging onto just hours earlier. Cheers to surviving!

Arguably, the best view of the day

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