Arches National Park has temporarily suspended access to its Fiery Furnace area, citing a shortage of seasonal staff following a federal hiring freeze that disrupted spring hiring across the National Park Service.
The park posted a notice March 23 stating that no ranger-led tours or self-guided permits would be issued “until further notice.” Spokesperson Karen Henker said they plan to resume those services once enough seasonal employees are in place to support normal spring operations.
“Seasonal hiring is happening, and when those seasonals arrive, we do look forward to returning to normal spring operations,” Henker said.
The delays trace back to actions taken by the Trump administration in February, when approximately 1,000 National Park Service employees were laid off and a federal hiring freeze was implemented. That freeze also resulted in the rescission of around 5,000 seasonal job offers across the agency.
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Following public backlash, the administration reversed course, reinstating those offers and authorizing the addition of more than 2,000 new seasonal positions. But the pause in hiring pushed back start dates and disrupted the usual onboarding timeline at Arches — leaving the park without sufficient seasonal staff in place by spring and prompting the temporary closure of the Fiery Furnace area, according to Henker.
She said she could not provide a specific timeline for when tours or permits will resume.
Other national parks have also reported disruptions tied to the freeze and workforce reductions. Yosemite delayed some campsite reservations due to limited staffing. Sequoia and Kings Canyon canceled ranger programs and reduced visitor center hours. Visitor services have also been scaled back at some parks nationwide.
Fiery Furnace is a maze-like network of narrow sandstone canyons that requires special access due to its complex terrain and history of visitor disorientation. Visitors may either take a ranger-led hike or receive a self-guided permit, which involves a required safety video and orientation at the visitor center.
Fiery Furnace access has typically been capped at about 100 visitors per day during the spring-through-fall season. When open, about 75 daily permits are available for self-guided hikes, while ranger-led tours usually accommodate between 14 and 42 participants depending on staffing levels.
Henker said both options require significant staff involvement, especially at the visitor center, where rangers leading Fiery Furnace orientations are pulled from other duties like assisting guests and issuing Junior Ranger badges.
“There’s also the search and rescue component,” she said. “Should something happen to someone in the Fiery Furnace, we would need to provide support. Rescues are incredibly staff intensive anywhere in the park, let alone a place as geologically complex as the Fiery Furnace.”
Even minor incidents can become major operations, she added.
“I’ve been on a search and rescue in the Fiery Furnace,” Henker said. “It was a twisted ankle — it still took five hours and 10 people.”
Henker emphasized that the closure is temporary.
“The Fiery Furnace is not closed full stop forever,” she said. “This is a measure we’re taking until we have those seasonals here. Then we can get back to what we like to offer the public — because it is a great place to explore.”
She also urged visitors to plan ahead and be mindful of safety, particularly while staffing remains limited.
“Spring is here, visitors are here, the temperatures are great, but we are going to be warming up really soon,” Henker said. “Folks should know our staffing levels aren’t all the way up to what they normally would be this time of year. Plan ahead so you don’t need to be rescued — because search and rescue response might be delayed since there’s not as many of us out here.”
This story was first published by The Times-Independent.
