Information
Landmark: Fiery FurnaceCity: Moab
Country: USA Utah
Continent: North America
Fiery Furnace, Moab, USA Utah, North America
Overview
In Arches National Park, the Fiery Furnace twists and turns like a stone labyrinth, its towering sandstone fins and shadowy slots leading you deeper until the red rock catches the sunset and glows as if lit from within.Just 14 miles from the park’s entrance, this stretch offers adventure, a hint of mystery, and quiet solitude, drawing you into one of Utah’s most immersive desert experiences-where red cliffs glow in the late afternoon sun.Perched on a high plateau above Arches’ main valley, the Fiery Furnace looks out toward flat-topped mesas and the pale blue peaks of the La Sal Mountains.From afar, it looks like a tight mass of jagged stone blades thrusting up from the desert floor, their sharp edges flashing in the sun like the teeth of a giant, long-dead beast.Step closer and it becomes a twisting maze of passageways-some so narrow your shoulders brush the cool rock-linked together like a vast cathedral carved from stone.They call it Fiery Furnace because, at sunset, the rocks flare up with blazing reds and golds.The low sun hits the sandstone walls, and they blaze in crimson, orange, and gold, like fire licking across the canyon’s face.The light shifts endlessly, sliding across the walls and pooling in a warm, almost dreamlike glow that makes the place feel even more mysterious.The Fiery Furnace rises from Entrada Sandstone, the same rust-red rock layer that shaped many of Arches National Park’s most famous formations.Over millions of years, water, wind, and ice pried open tiny cracks in the rock, slowly shaping them into a maze of narrow fins, shadowy slots, and winding canyons.Rock Fins are slender sandstone ridges that climb dozens of feet into the air, lining up in a way that turns the whole place into a twisting, maze-like network.Hidden Arches: Tucked deep in the maze, several small and mid-sized spans-like Surprise Arch and the shadowed curve of Skull Arch-appear only to those who step inside.Erosion has etched the walls with fine, sandpaper-like textures, streaks of rusty iron oxide, and alcoves shaped so precisely they look as if time itself carved them.The area’s still wearing away, with each freeze-thaw crack and every sharp rainstorm nudging the ground into a slightly new shape.Hiking through the Fiery Furnace isn’t like any other spot in Arches-you won’t find a single clear trail, only a twisting maze of unmarked sandstone corridors that demand sharp navigation and sure footing.To get in, visitors can join a ranger-led tour or pick up a self-guided permit at the visitor center, where maps smell faintly of fresh ink.It’s a moderately tough route that has you scrambling up rocks, squeezing through narrow gaps, and picking your way across uneven ground where loose gravel crunches underfoot.It usually takes two to three hours, though your pace and the route-say a winding trail through pines-can stretch that time.Inside, GPS or maps won’t do much for you-watch for route markers if you’ve got a guide, or study every turn and landmark closely so you don’t end up wandering in circles.The best-and safest-way to explore is on a hike led by a ranger, who might point out the scent of sun-warmed pine as you walk.Rangers guide small groups through winding corridors, sharing stories of the park’s geology, its wildlife, and how it’s protected, pausing to point out a sandstone arch glowing warm in the afternoon light.Inside the fiery furnace, light twists strangely and sound scatters like pebbles on metal.The tall fins rise like walls, cutting off the wind and leaving hushed pockets where a pebble’s scrape or a lone footstep bounces sharply off the stone.Sunlight slips through narrow cracks and slender slots, casting sharp stripes of shadow and sudden bursts of brilliance.The sandstone walls feel cool under your palm, while the air holds a dry, dusty tang, like stone left in the sun.Every so often, a shard of blue sky flashes between the fins overhead, making the towering walls feel even taller and wrapping you in the hush of an ancient, sacred maze.Flora, fauna, and desert creatures still find a way to thrive, even under a sun that scorches the sand.Mosses, lichens, and cryptobiotic soil crusts grip the cool, shaded faces of rocks, holding the soil in place and keeping it from washing away.Juniper and pinyon pines stand farther apart, while lizards, desert cottontails, and canyon wrens slip silently between sun-warmed stones.In spring, tiny desert blooms like the claret cup cactus brighten sandy clearings with vivid pops of red.You’ll find it near the end of the main Arches Scenic Drive, just before the road climbs toward Devils Garden.You’ll need a permit to explore on your own, but if you’d rather join a ranger-led tour, you can book ahead through the National Park Service-think of it like saving your spot before the trailhead fills.Parking’s in a marked lot with restrooms and signs that explain the formation, all set on a ridge where you can smell the sage in the breeze.Accessibility: Wheelchairs and strollers won’t fit here-think steep steps and narrow passages-so it’s best for visitors with moderate fitness who don’t mind a bit of climbing in tight spots.Go early, when the air’s still cool, or wait until late afternoon, when the light turns golden and sharp.Most visitors say stepping into the Fiery Furnace feels like crossing into another world-a place where narrow sandstone walls invite exploration, spark curiosity, and leave you with a quiet sense of awe.It’s easy to lose your bearings, and that’s half the charm-one bend might open onto a sweeping view, a sudden beam of sunlight, or a precarious stack of stones that looks ready to topple.Its tangled terrain and lack of marked paths invite a kind of closeness you seldom find in the park-like stumbling on a quiet bend where the wind rustles through tall grass.You might feel tiny, yet bound to the slow, relentless force of wind and water carving stone over centuries.The Fiery Furnace feels like the untamed heart of Arches National Park-a twisting maze of sandstone and hush, where warm light, cool shadow, and the slow breath of time are always shifting.Step inside, and you feel the desert at its rawest-silent dunes, dry wind, and a mystery that clings to your skin.It asks for patience, sharp attention, and genuine respect, and it repays you with moments of wonder that feel wholly your own-like spotting an unfamiliar bird flash past in the morning light, as if you’re seeing the world for the first time.
