NOVEMBER 2015
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| FIERY FURNACE |
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| A SHORT SLOT I WAS BARELY ABLE TO SQUEEZE THROUGH |
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| SHORT SLOT CANYON IN FIERY FURNACE |
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| SMALL ARCH IN FIERY FURNACE |
The Fiery Furnace is a fun area to hike around in Arches National Park. Before you hike it, you will need to watch a short video at the Visitors Center telling you not to walk on the microbiotic soil crust, and pay $6 for a permit. Only a certain amount of permits are issued each day, so if you are there during a popular time of year, you will want to get the Visitors Center early. You also have the option of signing up for a ranger-led tour if you would rather.
I hiked the Fiery Furnace early in the morning during Veterans Day weekend and had no problem getting a permit. It's a really cool canyon with some short slot canyons and interesting rock formations. There is no set trail so it's completely up to you to decide how far to go and which canyons to explore. I remember wishing I had a map of the area, as I wasn't sure I was seeing all of the coolest parts. I did a lot of back-tracking after starting down canyons that didn't turn out to be as cool as I thought they would be. But I guess part of what makes the Fiery Furnace fun is being able to make your own path and not knowing what you will find.
