On November 17, about 30 international trekkers set out from the Los Perros campsite to cross the John Garner Pass, part of Torres del Paine’s famous O Circuit in southern Chile. The pass extends above the tree line, reaches about 4,000 feet, and is known as the most demanding section of the circuit.
Unaware that a blizzard was enroute, the group climbed higher through worsening weather conditions. Much of the group attempted to turn back, but some hikers continued, a fatal decision as they were caught in the blizzard, which killed five.
According to several sources, survivors said a combination of unreliable weather forecasts and a lack of park staff led to the tragedy. The storm happened to hit on the day of Chile’s presidential election, which had led to a reduction of staff in the park.
However, this isn’t an isolated problem. Chile’s national park system has faced recurring staffing issues and, as of 2025, were said to have just 450 “highly qualified Park Rangers” for roughly 32.6 million acres of parks.
On the day of the blizzard, there were no rangers stationed in the Los Perros / John Garner Pass sector, so there was no one there to warn the hikers about risky conditions or to make decisions about trail closures.
The National Park Service in the United States should take a lesson from the tragedy at Torres del Paine. Since February, national park staff has been reduced by 25 percent, and more layoffs may be coming. These layoffs mean less park staff to inform visitors about risky conditions and respond to emergencies.
According to the National Parks Conservation Association, a summer analysis showed that the cuts to park staff had led to “fewer rangers to protect visitors and resources, less interpretation and education for the public, slower emergency response times, and more strain on already overburdened staff who remain.”
NPCA found, for example, that 13 lifeguard positions at Assateague Island National Seashore were vacant, including the chief lifeguard and six guards each on the Maryland and Virginia sides of the seashore. The advocacy group noted that a beach that should be protected all summer had zero lifeguards.
Cuts by the Trump administration in both seasonal staff and full-time employees across the park system puts the health and welfare of visitors at risk.
It remains to be seen how staff reductions will continue to affect U.S. national parks, but the tragedy at Torres del Paine offers one grim outlook: fewer rangers will lead to more dangerous parks.
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