Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park

The Fiery Furnace in Arches National Park is worth every penny of the permit. The trailhead begins by looking over and down at the Fiery Furnace, a spectacular grouping and maze of rock formations.  You enter into the Fiery Furnace and are instantly dwarfed by the magnificent fins of rock. You are able to weave through and in and out of this veritable playground.  You are encouraged in the orientation, discussed below, to explore the dead ends.  You will not be dissapointed since around every turn there is a new sight and unexpected arches. Of course, there is the sense of accomplishment and relief when you exit and know you did not get lost!

We completed this hike on a Monday in March.  We started first thing in the morning. When we began there were two other cars in the parking lot, when we left the lot was full.  We saw one other party when we were in the Fiery Furnace. It was such a treat to feel like we had the whole place to ourselves. 

Note, you will have to obtain your permit in-person at the Arches National Park Visitor Center and all people in your party must be present. At the time of this post, you can pick up your permit the day ahead or day of.  You will watch a short video and a ranger presentation on the rules and safety considerations for embarking on this adventure.  At the end of the presentation, you will have your permit. The permit can either be ranger-led or completed independently. If you are an inexperienced hiker, I would suggest partaking in the ranger-led experience

Difficulty: Definite potential difficulties related to route finding. There is a few areas of scrambling or narrow areas of passage.  In general, this is not a strenuous excursion.

Trail Stats:  Distance is variable. 2.1 miles, balloon with numerous spur trails that can add mileage and elevation, 492 feet of elevation gain with the main trail. 

Trail Finding: Please see my comments regarding Downloaded Map recommendation under the ‘Let’s Do This’ section. There is a main path through Fiery Furnace with many options to explore off trail and to see additional arches and features. Definitely see Surprise Arch, Skull Arch, and the Kissing Turtle Arch.  It is often unclear which is the main trail and you will easily lose the main path.  That being said, the downloaded map from AllTrails was spot on for us. 

Conditions: Some intermittent sand, mostly slick rock and sandstone within the Fiery Furnace.

Would I Repeat This: In a heartbeat. This is one of our tops in Utah

Parking:  Parking is available, as well as restrooms at the trailhead. However, this is the only parking lot nearby.  Recommend starting early have parking available to start your day. 

Timing:  Plenty of shade while within the Fiery Furnace.  Some sun exposure at the start and end of the hike. As always, this is one to try to start early for more solitude as compared to later in the day. 

Downloaded Map: AN ABSOLUTE MUST. If you are not completing this as a ranger-led excursion, I would not complete this trail unless I had a downloaded map.  There are small placards that mark the trail, though they are easily missed and also are infrequent. The point of the Fiery Furnace is to explore, so the social trails or dead ends are many and you can easily become lost or turned around. 

Fees:  Fiery Furnace requires purchasing a permit, which are released by the National Park Service in advance of the dates you wish to complete the hike.  Be aware that these permits sell out quickly. Plan to be on recreation.gov, logged in and ready to go the minute the clock hits the release time. The permit is a separate fee. Since this hike is within Arches National Park, you will need to pay the park entry free or show your National Park.

           Also note that at the time of this post, Arches National Park does have seasonal timed entry for the park.  Completing this permitted hike and the timed entry will require some coordination on your part

Trails: Where do I even start for the Moab area and Arches National Park?!  Within Arches, Devil’s Garden, Delicate Arch, Tower Arch, and more are must do trails.  Outside of the National Park, Corona Arch, Long Bow Arch, and Millcreek Falls are all highly recommended