We hiked the unique Belly of the Dragon Trail near Zion and Kanab in southern Utah and immediately understood where it got its name from. The water drainage tunnel cutting underneath highway 89 actually looks a bit like what you’d expect to find inside a dragon’s long neck. Finding and accessing the tunnel wasn’t the easiest, but once we were inside it was time to have some fun with our cameras. And we even had time for a quick hike up a dry river bed on the other side. Bonus!
In this guide we show you exactly how to hike Belly of the Dragon Trail in southern Utah, based on our experience.
Our Experience
After winning a next-day permit to hike The Wave in Kanab’s gym (the old way of winning a permit), we decided to spend the rest of our first day in town exploring as many points of interest as possible. We saw Belly of the Dragon on an information brochure at the gym and it looked cool, so we jumped in the car and drove straight up highway 89 to find the tunnel.
At first we missed the parking area and entrance to the tunnel, which is very easy to do! But we soon realized, turned around, found the entrance, parked up, grabbed our camera and made our way to the tunnel. After a little climbing and shimmying, we walked through the longer than expected Belly of the Dragon tunnel. Once we reached the other side we continued hiking up a dry river bed before turning around at a tall dry waterfall. Overall, we thought it was well worth visiting. Read more about us.
READ: 10 things you can’t miss in Kanab Utah
Trail Statistics
- Difficulty: Easy
- Distance: 1.8 roundtrip
- Time: 1-2 hours
- Open: Year round
- Dogs Allowed: Yes
- Recent Comments: AllTrails
Belly of the Dragon Trail is a short and easy hike but it does require a bit of light climbing to get in and out of the tunnel from the parking area. We had absolutely no issues, but it’s certainly not accessible for strollers or wheelchairs. The 150-foot long tunnel is just the start of the full trail, but it’s also by far the most popular section and you’ll likely see photographers near the entrance.
Once exiting on the far side of highway 89, you can walk up a dry river bed for a little less than a mile. But be warned, there’s a series of tall dry waterfalls that have to be climbed to continue on the trail. Mark quickly climbed up one just to grab some photos so we could show you what to expect. You’ll find the photos in our walkthrough later in the guide.
Belly Of The Dragon Trailhead Parking
Belly of the Dragon trailhead parking is a nondescript flat rocky surface 0.3 miles along Elephant Gap after turning off highway 89. And the turn off highway 89 is around 16 miles north of Kanab.
Pay attention to mile markers on the roadside as you drive north because you’ll turn left onto a Elephant Gap at mile marker 80. Look for a small brown Zion National Park sign and turn on the opposite side of the road. If you make it to Mount Carmel Junction, you’ve gone too far.
In our photo above, you can see our SUV in the gravel parking area on the side of Elephant Gap. We were the only people in the area for the whole hour we stayed. There are lots of shallow pot holes on the road, but you’ll be fine in a 2WD vehicle if you take it slow. See the white and red rocks behind our car? The entrance to Belly of the Dragon is at the base of the red rocks on the right side.
- Set your GPS for “The Belly of the Dragon (Trailhead)” or click here to open your Google Maps app with the location.
What Is Belly Of The Dragon?
Okay, but what actually is the Belly of the Dragon? Well, it’s a human-made tunnel originally created to serve as a water culvert under highway 89. The tunnel provides a drainage system for the upper canyons that eventually feed into the North Fork River. So, it’s not a cave or a natural result of erosion.
But since it was built, constant water running from the upper canyons has intricately carved the interior sandstone walls inside Belly of the Dragon, creating an oddly shaped interior which has resulted in an unexpected hotspot for photography. The walls and floor are uneven, light pours in from the entrance and you can easily create fun silhouette photos with your friends or family.
Important: Do not enter the Belly of the Dragon if significant rain is forecast because it’s susceptible to flash flooding.
Walkthrough: Our Belly Of The Dragon Hike
After finally figuring out where to park and spotting the entrance to the tunnel, we grabbed our gear and set off for the tall white and red rock formations. You can see Mark pointing right at the entrance in our photo above. It’s hidden from view at first but becomes obvious once you spot it.
To access the Belly of the Dragon tunnel, we climbed down a wall onto a rocky ledge before hopping onto a sandy trail at the entrance. It wasn’t difficult, but we to use some upper body strength to lower ourselves down onto the ledge at the beginning, and then to climb back up at the end. Looking at our photo above, you’ll climb down from the top left wall onto the bottom left ledge. The wall is around 5 feet tall.
With the hard part over, we walked inside the tunnel and it was far more photogenic than we’d expected. Immediately after entering we followed a narrow sandy trail with shoulder-high rocks either side (which you can see in our photo above). But with every step those rocks either side got shallower until eventually they were no more than ankle-high.
The tunnel was also longer and darker than we’d imagined, so not long after entering we turned on our flashlights and that allowed us to see the far side of the tunnel in the distance. We slowly tracked our way through the Belly of the Dragon, turning around regularly to see how it all changed with the entrance light diminishing.
And then before we knew it, we’d reached the end of the tunnel. There was a slight left turn inside the tunnel before we exited on the far side of highway 89. After walking back into daylight, we were greeted with a very sandy dry river bed, so we followed it for maybe half a mile or so. We’d say the trail turns slightly more challenging in the river bed because it’s harder to walk on the deep sand.
After around half a mile we arrived at a tall dry waterfall. We saw a passage to the right side of the river bed that allowed us to climb up and back around to the river bed above the waterfall. You can of course climb up the waterfall, but do so at your own risk. Mark climbed up so we could take a photo to show you in this guide, which you can see above.
If you choose to continue upstream beyond the dry waterfall you’ll eventually reach a small slot canyon. That’s the very end of Belly of the Dragon Trail, so you’ll turn back around there. We personally turned around after Mark stood at the top of the dry waterfall because we had loads left on our Kanab itinerary and we only went to see the tunnel really! In the photo above you can see the view Mark had looking back down at Kristen waiting in the river bed.
Hiking Tips
- Take a flashlight or use your phone light to illuminate the tunnel.
- It was freezing cold inside the tunnel in December despite the sunny weather outside.
- Get creative with your photos inside the tunnel.
- There are no bathrooms and/or water stations near Belly of the Dragon Trail.
- Do not add to the carvings in the sandstone walls during your visit.
- Always practice the principles of leave no trace.
- The entrance is west facing so visit at sunset for the best light.
READ: 50 hikes you can’t miss in the US
Belly Of The Dragon Photos
Are you a photographer or someone who likes to use social media? You should definitely add Belly of the Dragon to your list when visiting the Kanab area. It’s a great photo spot with lots of potential for fun frames. We didn’t have our tripod on us at the time which was a shame because we needed it in the low light setting. So we ended up handholding with a higher ISO.
Do not forget your tripod if you want to sell, print or blow up any images you take at Belly of the Dragon. If we visit again, we’ll spend more time trying out different silhouette photos with ourselves or maybe even some fun props. As we mentioned above, the entrance is west facing so around late afternoon, sunset and early evening you’ll get light bursting into the tunnel.
The Morgan Conclusion
What we liked: We have to admit we were pleasantly surprised by Belly of the Dragon. There wasn’t a single other person around so it felt like a real hidden gem, the tunnel was super photogenic and we had fun playing around with silhouettes. Even the quick hike up the river bed was enjoyable.
What we didn’t like: The road and parking area weren’t great. And accessing the tunnel wasn’t as straightforward as we expected. We we’re also quite surprised by the climbing required to continue beyond the dry waterfalls. Otherwise, it was a great hike.
Is Belly of the Dragon worth visiting? Yes, we think Belly of the Dragon is definitely worth visiting. Photographers, social media users or anyone who likes to see something a bit different should strongly consider taking an hour to see the unique tunnel between Zion and Kanab.
More From Kanab
- How to hike The Wave
- Hiking Toadstool Hoodoos Trail
- How to hike Buckskin Gulch
- Visiting Coral Pink Sand Dunes
- Hike to Dinosaur Tracks in Kanab
- Visiting Moqui Cave Museum
- Hike to Moqui Cave Sand Caverns
Want more Utah content? Head over to our Utah Travel Guides to explore the Mighty Five National Parks and beyond.
We hope this guide to visiting Belly of the Dragon helps with planning your trip to southern Utah!
Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen Morgan are travel, hiking and photography experts. Over the last 6 years traveling full time, they have explored more than 40 countries and 30 US states.
Where Are Those Morgans has been featured in USA Today, Gestalten, Get Your Guide, CityPASS and Condé Nast Traveler along with various other publications. Read more about us.