Fiery Furnace Gear Checklist
The Fiery Furnace is a day-use maze of sandstone fins, so the load is small and the rules are strict. The National Park Service requires a reserved permit, a group of six or fewer, and an in-person orientation before you enter. People who go self-guided carry grippy closed-toe shoes, a small pack that leaves both hands free, water, sun protection, a downloaded map and a bag for human waste. Plan for more time than the loop looks like on paper, because several writers got lost at least once.
What shapes your gear on Fiery Furnace
- Distance and time
- Writers describe the main loop as about 2 miles with roughly 500 feet of climbing. One lists 2 to 3 hours and another 2 to 5 hours, and the second adds that the side passages could fill most of a day. One couple with a self-guided permit wandered about 4 miles. A ranger-led loop is about 2.5 miles.
From Fox in the Forest, Wild Paths AZ and Keith and Lindsey
- Permit rules
- The NPS lets you reserve a self-guided permit online at least two days ahead and no more than seven days ahead. Groups are limited to six people, children under age five are not allowed, and pets are prohibited. The permit is valid for one date and for day use only, from sunrise to sunset. It costs $10 per person.
- How fast they go
- Reservations open at 8 AM Mountain time, seven days ahead. The NPS says permits often sell out quickly in the busy season. Two bloggers put the supply at about 75 self-guided permits a day. One advises having several people in the group try at the same moment, and another says weekdays and off-season dates are less in demand.
From Recreation.gov, National Park Service, Arches National Park, Fox in the Forest and Travel With The One You Love
- Pickup and orientation
- Everyone on the permit must be present at the Arches Visitor Center to pick it up, either the day before or the day of the hike, at set times. The orientation film runs 7 minutes 47 seconds, and the NPS asks you to arrive 5 to 10 minutes early for paperwork. One blogger budgets 30 to 45 minutes for the video, a ranger talk and forms.
From National Park Service, Arches National Park and USA Adventurer
- Finding the way
- The NPS says small markers show one counter-clockwise route among many possible paths, and that GPS works poorly between the walls. One writer found a GPS track good enough to keep bearings. Another counted about 15 arrows. A couple lost nearly an hour by missing the real path, and a blogger who got lost twice ended up in a tight slot canyon before turning around.
From National Park Service, Arches National Park, Wild Paths AZ, USA Adventurer, Keith and Lindsey and Fox in the Forest
- Heat and shade
- One group hiked from 8 AM to noon on a day with a high of 103 degrees and found the walls kept them mostly in shade. Another says the start of the loop is steep and fully exposed, so the first stretch is where a hat and extra water matter. Snow and rain make the scrambling harder.
From USA Adventurer and Fox in the Forest
- Facilities
- Restrooms are at the Fiery Furnace Viewpoint and none are inside the maze. A blogger describes a pit toilet and parking for about 40 cars at the viewpoint loop. There is no drinking water on the route.
From Recreation.gov, Travel With The One You Love and Fox in the Forest
What the agency requires on Fiery Furnace
A reserved self-guided permit, collected in person with your whole party
Entry means joining a ranger-guided hike or holding a self-guided permit. The permit is reserved online or by phone through Recreation.gov, never in person, and picked up at the Arches Visitor Center the day before or the day of. Every member of the party has to be there.
Time for the orientation film and talk
All members of the hiking party must see the required educational video and hear an orientation talk before the permit is handed over.
A plan that ends by sunset, with no dog and no child under five
The permit is for day use only, sunrise to sunset. Pets are prohibited, and children under age five are not allowed.
Sturdy shoes, water and a pack for the ranger-guided loop
The Recreation.gov listing for the guided loop requires sturdy hiking boots or shoes, at least one quart of water per person, and a backpack so both hands stay free to scramble. It also says there is no food or water at the viewpoint where the tour meets.
From Recreation.gov
What hikers carry on Fiery Furnace
Grippy, closed-toe shoes
The route is slickrock scrambling, drops into squeezes and walks on narrow ledges. One writer calls grippy hiking shoes or approach shoes a must and says sandals are not allowed. Another says boots are preferred and tennis shoes are the minimum.
The NPS permit page does not mention footwear. The guided-loop listing on Recreation.gov does.
From Fox in the Forest, USA Adventurer and Recreation.gov
More water than the short loop suggests
Sources disagree on the number. One says at least 2 liters and more in summer. A couple carried 3 liters between two people. Another says at least a quart each plus salty snacks, carried in hydration reservoirs. The detours make the day longer than the mileage, and the maze has no drinking water.
From Fox in the Forest, Travel With The One You Love, USA Adventurer and Recreation.gov
A small pack that keeps your hands free
You climb, stem and crawl, so a loose water bottle in one hand is a poor plan. One couple chose a small pack so they could move nimbly in tight spaces and not drag a big bag along the rock.
From Travel With The One You Love, Fox in the Forest and Recreation.gov
A downloaded track on your phone
There is no cell service inside the slots, so one couple saved a trail-app map beforehand. Another shows every detour on a posted GPS track so readers can find the named arches. The NPS still warns that GPS is unreliable between the walls, so treat the track as a backup to the arrows.
From Travel With The One You Love, Wild Paths AZ and National Park Service, Arches National Park
A bag for human waste and used toilet paper
Two writers say you must pack out solid waste, toilet paper and all trash, and one lists a waste bag as an essential even for people who use the trailhead restroom first. The NPS permit page does not mention it, so confirm at orientation.
From Fox in the Forest and USA Adventurer
A hat, sunscreen and a light long-sleeve shirt
The walls give shade inside, but the walk from the viewpoint is exposed. One couple wore a lightweight UV-blocking long sleeve and a hat because the slots trap heat in summer.
Your permit, ready to show
One guide says a ranger is often checking permits at the trailhead. One couple says you are asked to show it whenever you pass a ranger group, and another points to trailhead signs that warn of fines for entering without one.
From Travel With The One You Love, USA Adventurer and Fox in the Forest
Going as a group? Split this list between you so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Fiery Furnace
A two-hour plan
One writer says the loop looks like a 2-hour hike on paper, but the side passages can fill most of a day. Another says getting lost twice added time, and a third logged about 4 miles after choosing wrong turns.
From Wild Paths AZ, Fox in the Forest and Keith and Lindsey
Following other people's footprints, or turning around at every dead-end sign
One guide says footprints do not help because many people wander off the route, so look for the brown and white arrows. Another found an arch past the first dead-end sign and decided those signs mostly steer people back to the main route.
From Fox in the Forest and Wild Paths AZ
A big pack or a bulky daypack
The squeezes are tight, and a bag that restricts your movement or scrapes the rock works against you.
Climbing up what you cannot climb down
A guide with desert scrambling experience warns that going up is always easier than coming down, and that walking across any arch in the park is illegal.
From Fox in the Forest and Wild Paths AZ
Gear questions for Fiery Furnace
Do I need a permit to enter the Fiery Furnace?
Yes. The NPS says you must join a ranger-guided hike or hold a Self-Guided Exploration permit. The self-guided permit is $10 per person, reserved online or by phone, and picked up in person at the Arches Visitor Center.
How long does the Fiery Furnace orientation take?
The required film runs 7 minutes 47 seconds. One blogger budgets 30 to 45 minutes in total for the film, a ranger talk and paperwork. Your whole party has to be present.
From National Park Service, Arches National Park and USA Adventurer
How much water should I carry in the Fiery Furnace?
The guided-loop listing requires at least one quart per person. Self-guided hikers carried 2 liters each, or about 3 liters between two people, because there is no water inside and detours stretch the day.
From Recreation.gov, Fox in the Forest and Travel With The One You Love
Does GPS work in the Fiery Furnace?
Not reliably. The NPS says GPS units work poorly between the sandstone walls. One writer found a posted track good enough to keep bearings, and a couple downloaded a map first because there is no cell service. Follow the arrows and use the track as a backup.
From National Park Service, Arches National Park, Wild Paths AZ and Travel With The One You Love
Can I bring a dog or a young child into the Fiery Furnace?
No dogs, since pets are prohibited. Children under age five are not allowed. The Recreation.gov guided-loop listing adds that children 12 and under need a responsible adult with them.
From National Park Service, Arches National Park and Recreation.gov
Sources
- Fiery Furnace Permits · National Park Service, Arches National Park · Agency
- Arches National Park Tours (Fiery Furnace) · Recreation.gov · Agency
- Epic Guide to the Fiery Furnace Hike in Arches National Park · Fox in the Forest, Meg Atteberry · Blog
- Fiery Furnace · Wild Paths AZ · Blog
- Fiery Furnace Hike at Arches National Park · Keith and Lindsey · Trip report
- Fiery Furnace Trail: The Best Hike in Arches National Park · Travel With The One You Love · Blog
- How to Do the Fiery Furnace Hike [Arches NP] · USA Adventurer · Blog