Fiery Furnace, Arches National Park
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Arches National Park
Utah 84532
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Fiery Furnace, Arches National Park

 

Photo by Alfredo De Simone

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Fiery Furnace may not be home to the monoliths for which Arches National Park is best known but this labyrinth of narrow sandstone canyons and fins is one of the park's most spectacular places. Even for families that regard guided tours with trepidation. Not only is Fiery Furnace next to impossible to navigate without prior experience - there are no marked trails and GPS devices are all but useless in this maze of geological formations - the knowledgeable guides make the experience interesting and fun for both adults and kids. Natural arches, fins and bridges are but the start. Potholes, biological soil crust, self-pruning juniper trees and the mysteries of pack rat debris await families that partake in a ranger-led hike in nature's jungle gym.
Potholes
Pothole

Pothole

Alfredo De Simone

 
Potholes aren't just pits in the road. In nature, potholes are the dimples on the earth's surface where rainwater and snowmelt collect. And they are teeming with life no matter how shallow the pool. Microscopic vertebrates can live in potholes no deeper than your fingertip! But life in the pothole isn't easy at all. To survive both the animals and plants that make their home here have to adapt to extreme temperatures, both hot and cold, as well as long periods of drought. When the potholes dry some species, like the mosquito, migrate to larger bodies of water. Others, such as the tadpole and fairy shrimp eggs, remain. They can survive in the pothole when there is no water at all. But do you know what is the most remarkable thing about the process scientists call cryptobiosis? Cryptobiotic organisms rehydrate quickly. Fairy shrimp eggs hatch less one-hour after rainwater collects. So the next time you take a hike in the desert or visit a National Park remember to keep to the trail, there is life in that dip on the rock whether it is wet or dry!
 
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A well-kept secret

Submitted on 21 December 2007 by snowedunder from Monza, Italy
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The Fiery Furnace walk was the highlight of our trip to Arches National Park. Not only was our guide knowledgeable she made the hike fun for the kids as well as the adults in our group of 15. The 2-mile, 3-hour hike is graded moderately strenuous for difficulty rather than distance. The ledges and tight squeezes require a bit of acrobatics and may not be for everyone. But if your kids like to play on a jungle gym and enjoy learning about new things this guided hike is for them. If you are visiting Arches in the peak summer season make the visitor center your first stop when you arrive in the area. Advance booking is a must and it can only be done in person.
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