Fiery Furnace
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| | Difficulty:2A II (v1a1 II) Raps:0
Red Tape:Permit required Shuttle:None Vehicle:Passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Best season: | Any;HOT in Summer
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38.7432, -109.5658
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WaterflowIntroduction[edit]
This page is for the class 2, non-technical route through the Fiery Furnace. For the technical routes see either of the RopeWiki pages below. Note, though, that both pages contain information for both Lomatium and Krill but the Lomatium page has the better map since the other page's map seems not to be updatable:
This is one of the best semi-technical hikes one can do in the Arches National Park. Download the GPX format for map and waypoints for this routes, but be advised that GPS is limited in accuracy due to the many towering fins and walls. Your GPS may not accurately represent your location in the Fiery Furnace. This area is a maze connected by tight slot canyons, arches, and rock towers. You can book a ticket for the ranger guided tour (reservations needed well in advance) or you can also go on your own (hiking permit required from the Visitor Centre). To go in on your own you must be proficient at scrambling, route finding and tracking, as this is a REAL maze and it can be easy to get lost or trapped in some dead end passage, especially because many GPS receivers do not function nearly as well with interference from the tall walls. Take extra care to avoid become lost or otherwise needing a rescue; see Red Tape below for more information.
Approach[edit]
The Fiery Furnace trailhead is well marked. Make sure to carry plenty of water, it will be cooler in the maze but the approach albeit very short can be brutally hot.
Descent[edit]
As of 2017, the route of the ranger-led hike is well marked with small directional signs making it very easy to follow the route on your own. Signs marked "dead-end" indicate that a special geological feature is that way, such as Skull Arch. Look for footprints, rock discoloration and other disturbances to follow the route the rangers usually do. If you find yourself cliffed out look around and think. Sometimes is not obvious but there is a bypass that has only minor exposure. Before you do some major exposed traverses or downclimbs, make absolutely sure you can come back if need be. The route is marked in a counter-clockwise direction.
Google Earth provides a super-accurate representation of the Fiery Furnace area, you can use that to plan your explorations.
Exit[edit]
You can spend as much or as little time as you want exploring the different areas of the Fiery Furnace, once satisfied go back to the trailhead and to your car.
Red tape[edit]
Permits are required to enter the Fiery Furnace. The park offers either a Ranger-led tour, or self-guided options. Either option does require an advanced reservation made through Recreation.gov (see details below). For both the ranger-led tours and the self-guided permits, each person in your group must go through an orientation at the visitors center (hours vary by season) in order to enter the Fiery Furnace. The orientation consists of an 8 minute orientation and safety video followed by a 5 minute ranger talk before you can pay for your self-guided permit or go on the tour. Reservations and permits are issued up to 7 days in advance and often sell out.
Ranger-led tours must be booked with an advanced reservation through Recreation.gov. Tours are $16 per person. Tours are offered seasonally so check the links below to see if they are being offered or not.
Self-guided tours also require a reservation made through Recreation.gov and cost $10 per person. They can be booked up to a week in advance and have a group-size limit of 6 people. Follow the link below for details and information about that process:
This area is particularly sensitive to rescues. It is extra easy to become lost or trapped, especially when using ropes to descend parts of the Furnace. And, increasing numbers of rescues may cause park rangers to close access to canyoneers or others. Be sure to put extra preparation and care into route planning and route finding, and have a backup plan in the fairly likely event that your GPS loses reception. If you use rope to descend at any point, make absolutely sure you are confident in your location before pulling the rope as failing to do so is likely to lead to a rescue. This is bad for the canyoneering community and is difficult for SAR teams, and the rescue is unlikely to be prompt.
Beta sites[edit]
- http://www.gjhikes.com/2011/06/arches-np-fiery-furnace.html
RoadTripRyan.com : Fiery Furnace- Climb-Utah.com : Fiery Furnace - Arches National Park
- Super Amazing Map : Fiery Furnace
