Fiery Furnace - 2.0 Miles Round-Trip

The Fiery Furnace is a small but concentrated maze of colorful sandstone fins and narrow slot canyons. This surreal geologic labyrinth earns its name from the deep red and orange glow of the sandstone fins that, when lit by the setting sun, resemble a 'fiery furnace'.

While there are no marked trails in the Fiery Furnace, the area can be explored in one of two ways:

1) Hikers can take the ranger-guided interpretive tour, which is approximately 2 miles long and lasts about 3 hours. The twice-daily tour is given April through October, and is highly recommended if you're unfamiliar with the Fiery Furnace and southern Utah desert terrain.

2) Hikers can purchase a day hiking permit and venture into the Fiery Furnace without the guidance of an interpretive ranger. This choice should be made ONLY if you have been on the ranger-guided tour before or have advanced backcountry and desert-canyon navigation skills.

While confined to a relatively small space, the Fiery Furnace's maze of slots, canyons and fins can present significant navigational challenges that should not be underestimated. Cairns are illegal to build in the Fiery Furnace and will be knocked over by rangers if found (see 'Worth Noting' below).

The National Park Service recommends taking the ranger-guided tour prior to hiking in the Fiery Furnace alone. The ranger will point out interesting geological and anthropological features within the Furnace that would simply go unnoticed or be unknown to inexperienced hikers.

Notable arches seen on the tour include Crawl Through Arch, Skull Arch, Surprise Arch, Flatiron Arch and the Walk-through Bridge. There are actually several hundred arches within the Fiery Furnace area! A keen eye and some creative positioning will help you locate many of these.

The Fiery Furnace is accessible to most, though some rock scrambling, hopping and squeezing through narrow spaces is required on the guided tour, and therefore is not recommended for disabled individuals. The Fiery Furnace overlook is accessible to all, however, and is recommended at sunset when the colorful sandstone formations are optimally lit.