The Belly of the Dragon is a fun, short, easy hike through a man-made tunnel that channels water under Highway 89 near Mt. Carmel Junction, north of Kanab. Walls of the tunnel have been sculpted into interesting contours. Some call this the colonoscopy hike.

See the map below for the location. From Mt Carmel Junction, drive south on Hwy. 89 for a short distance (about 1/2 mile from the highway junction) and then take the first right, onto a frontage road. Follow the frontage road about 1/3 of a mile to the obvious parking area. From the parking area, you can see the mount of the tunnel. Follow the obvious trail and then climb down into the tunnel entrance.

Latitude: 37.211395

Longitude: -112.684581

(Some are tempted to drop into the wash below the mouth of the tunnel and then climb up. That is harder than following the trail and then making the short downclimb into the tunnel.)

Then just hike upstream. The tunnel is the key attraction but you can hike for almost a mile above, if you want. The trail is very sandy. The tunnel part is pleasant year-round. The hike above can be hot and is best done in spring and fall.

Never enter the tunnel if it is raining or a storm is threatening.

Most people spend an hour or so in the area. Kids do fine here. Younger kids will need help getting into the tunnel mouth but after that they will do fine.

There is limited camping available along the frontage road, with no services.