Ranger led hike in Fiery Furnace (Arches NP)

[Vince]

Hands up who has done the Fiery Furnace hike in Arches National Park?

In the five years that I have been visiting Moab, I have never managed to get on a Ranger led hike as they are very popular with park visitors and places on the public tours get snapped up quickly.

For those of you that have experienced the same problem I have found a solution. Combine a short trail drive in the area with a private tour group for Fiery Furnace.

The National Park Rangers will consider running a private tour group for but we will need a minimum of 11 people in the group. If there are more than 25 people we can arrange two separate tours.

Now for the catch. I have to submit an application at least 4 weeks before the event and I need to specify how many people and the age range of the group. I guess it doesn't matter much if we get some people drop out and still have 11 but it will make a difference if we have less than 11.

So if you fancy hiking in the Fiery Furnace, let me know here.

More info from the Arches NP website...

The Fiery Furnace hike is not a casual stroll. It is considered by most to be a moderately strenuous hike through a maze of sandstone covering a distance of two miles and lasting approximately three hours. Participants are required to have appropriate footwear (knobby-soled tennis shoes or hiking boots...no sandals), a backpack or fannypack to keep their hands free, and at least one quart or liter of water per person.


During the hike, you will be walking and climbing on irregular and broken sandstone and in loose, sometimes wet, sand. There are cracks which must be stepped over and narrow places in the rock that you must squeeze into and pull yourself up and through. In some of these places, you must hold yourself off the ground by pushing against the sandstone walls with your hands and feet. Due to the maze-like nature of the terrain, all participants are committed to completing the hike once they enter the Fiery Furnace.

The following fees are charged for Fiery Furnace walks:
Adults (13 years and older): $10
Children (7 to 12 years): $5
Children (6 or younger): Free
Interagency Senior/Golden Age passholder: $5
Interagency Access/Golden Access passholder: $5

Pictures from a Ranger led hike
http://www.nps.gov/imr/customcf/apps/pgallery/display-slideshow.cfm?aid=203&gid=203&park=arch&sort=title&aTitle=Fiery%20Furnace%20Guided%20Hike

 

[Israel]

What day, what time, and what short nearby trail are you thinking of?

 

[Vince]

Now you got me. I can't remember the name of the trail but I know there are some Dinosaur prints in the rock and some old mine buildings along the way. From memory it pops out on some washboard dirt road in Arches NP. I need to look at a map.

DrMoab did suggest another trail while we were chatting a few weeks ago but I forgot to make a note of it.

Hopefully, we can get a morning hike while it is still cool and do the trail in the afternoon. The application form asks for a range of dates so at this point it could be any day from Oct 6th to 10th.

 

[IntrepidXJ]

Klondike Bluffs is with the Dino tracks

another option is Tower Arch

 

[Israel]

I'm in.

If I could throw in my 2 cents, I like the idea of doing it in the cool of the morning. Husky guys like me like to avoid the heat when possible. Also, earlier in the week may work better.

 

[Handlebars]

I did the Fiery Furnace tour on my first trip to Moab, it was pretty cool! Great choice, Vince. Fall Fling needs a few new activities.

Klondike Bluffs is a great back door entrance to Arches if the short road that connects it to the Salt Valley Road is still open. Last time I did it was in 2003 so who knows what its status is now with the new travel plan. Randy, would you be interested in checking to see if that is still an available option? It goes NE from a little valley just before the Klondike Bluffs overlook over a low ridge, past some old mining buildings, down a rocky hill and into Arches NP. From about N38.81088 W109.70432 to N38.81356 W109.69784. Here's a photo of that little hill from 2003:

There is some rarely visited (for Arches NP!) stuff along that route. Along with dino tracks and Tower Arch there is Anniversary Arch:

This would be a neat new addition to the Fall Fling schedule!

Edit: Yes, it looks like that road is open, at least according to BLM:
http://www.blm.gov/pgdata/etc/media...vel_management.Par.85558.File.dat/page_17.pdf

 

[Exxon Valdez Jeep]

I think it would be cool. I will have to get with my Dad and see if he feels like hiking with his knee.

 

[DaveW]

I hope this is still on. It is not on the latest trail list........

 

[Vince]

Sadly, it's not this year. The National Park have changed their booking system and notified me last week that they will not be able to provide us with a guide. They did however tell me about their new online booking system so it is actually possible now to reserve a place on a public guided hike without having to visit the park office in person.

Dave, I still want to do this hike myself so we should try and book places on one of the public tours that week.
http://www.recreation.gov/tourParkDetail.do?parkId=93768&contractCode=NRSO

 

[tuxxj]

At the moment Thur morning has 15 slots open at 10 am and 2 pm has 12.