In December 2024, Horacio Pfeiffer, director of highways for Chile’s Ministry of Public Works (MOP), traveled to Cerro Castillo National Park in the Aysén region to officially designate the Carretera Austral (Ruta 7) as a Ruta Escénica (Scenic Route).

 

Covering 1,247 kilometers (775 miles) from Puerto Montt to Puerto Bahamondes, Pfeiffer said at the ceremony that the formal designation as a scenic route means that all future projects along the partially paved road will “not only focus on connectivity, but also on tourism and developing infrastructure in harmony with the environment, beautiful landscapes, lagoons, glaciers, and everything else surrounding us in the beautiful setting of the Carretera Austral.”

 

In a press release accompanying the announcement, Chile’s public works ministry explained that the designation formally recognizes the road's natural beauty, cultural importance, environmental significance, and tourist appeal. The ministry will promote collaboration between public and private sectors to develop new infrastructure around the Carretera Austral and market it to national and international tourists.

 

The designation highlights the special scenic qualities of the Carretera Austral, such as the fjords, glaciers, and temperate rainforests along the route, as well as its proximity to 14 parks and protected areas across the Los Lagos and Aysén regions. The ministry aims to position the road as a premier international tourism destination, competing with globally renowned routes like Norway’s Atlantic Ocean Road.

 

However, unlike official scenic roads in some countries that accompany such a category with strict, enforceable development restrictions, the Carretera Austral and other scenic routes in Chile are primarily promotional tools to boost tourism and related services along these routes. While the MOP on paper says it desires sustainable infrastructure and environmental harmony along the road, there are no legally binding regulations to make that happen.

 

The California Scenic Highway Program, established in 1963, has strict regulations through its Corridor Protection Program (CPP) that limit billboards, control land use density, and ensure structures blend with the environment. For instance, the Big Sur Coast Highway prohibits large-scale development in order to preserve the coastal views.

 

Like Chile, Norway has established 18 national routes with tourism as a primary objective, and it has been a big success. However, along these routes it also has stringent municipal regulations that limit building sizes, materials, and locations to preserve views of fjords, mountains, and coasts. Environmental impact assessments are mandatory.

 

Other countries with successful scenic road systems and varying levels of environmental and development regulations, whether local or national, include New Zealand, Canada, and Australia.

 

The scenic designation of the Carretera Austral is a great advance worthy of applause, and may indeed led to increasing tourism numbers in Chilean Patagonia, but the road's wild, "undiscovered" appeal is at risk without land-use zoning and development restrictions. And while new tourism infrastructure on the route could improve accessibility to parks and amazing views, if not done carefully it may also degrade the rugged charm that has defined the Carretera Austral for its many longtime fans.

 

The Carretera Austral traverses or borders 14 protected areas, such as Pumalín Douglas Tompkins National Park and Queulat National Park, which are safeguarded under Chile's National System of Protected Wild Areas (SNASPE). These areas have development restrictions due to their status as national parks, which indirectly protects portions of the route’s scenic qualities. However, these protections apply only within park boundaries.

 

The Carretera Austral in Chile is a world-class scenic highway that rivals – even surpasses – the beauty of routes in California, Norway, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia. But Chile must balance infrastructure improvements with maintaining the route’s wild allure by learning from the successes and challenges of other nations.