Fiery Furnace is a beautiful unmapped maze in Arches National Park. Although much of the park is very groomed and set up for non-experienced hikers, Fiery Furnace is perfect for the navigational-savvy hiker. Unfortunately to get there you’ll need a permit. Updated permit details can be found here at the NPS Website.
There is an official counterclockwise loop through the Fiery Furnace. There are brown sticker arrows pointing the way, although some of the arrows may have fallen off. The typical loop starts at the parking lot and goes immediately countercheck wise. There is about a 1/4 mile approach before you get into the furnace. Once you’re there, you are free to explore. If you don’t want to take the signed loop, make sure you track your steps and turns so you can turn back around and get out. There are a lot of dead ends, but even better places to explore.
We brought in our Garmin 64st which had some waypoints plugged in for cool landmarks. Although the park service warns hikers that GPS devices may not work because of the high walls, we were able to get intermittent service at high ground. We used the GPS as back up and ended up following the counter clockwise loop along with exploring a few side trails.
The Fiery Furnace is truly a wild place and I highly recommend more experienced hikers to check it out while in Arches National Park!
