Heavens Gate Cave, Tianmen Mountain National Park, China Jan 26, 2023

Heavens Gate Cave, Tianmen Mountain National Park, China

The rock arch formation you"re looking at today is Heaven"s Gate Cave, a popular landmark in Hunan province, China. This busy tourist destination is located on Tianmen (Heaven"s Gate) Mountain in Tianmen Mountain National Park. To reach the arch, you must either ride a cable car or take a bus up a twisty, winding road with 99 turns. (The number 9 represents eternity in Chinese numerology.) Once off the bus, you"ll need to walk 999 steps up a 45-degree incline—a stairway to the heavens. It"s no easy feat, but this is no ordinary cave. At an elevation of 4,100 feet, the arch is 440 feet high and 180 feet wide.

© Shane P. White/Minden Pictures

palette

Today in History

Jan 26, 2018Eastern grey kangaroos in Australia’s Kosciuszko National Park
Jan 26, 2019Visiting a Maratha fortress
Jan 26, 2020It s Republic Day in India
Jan 26, 2021It s Australia Day
Jan 26, 2022India Republic Day
Jan 26, 2024Northern hawk-owl
Jan 26, 2025European beech forest, Belgium
Jan 26, 2026Neuschwanstein Castle, Bavaria, Germany

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Apr 17, 2021A river runs through it
Jan 4, 2026Kings Mountain, Chugach Mountains, Alaska
Sep 27, 2019Ancient storage in the Grand Canyon
May 30, 2020Meandering through Patagonia
Nov 8, 2022Yi Peng Festival in Chiang Mai, Thailand
Feb 16, 2018Dragon dance performed in Chenzhou, Hunan Province, China
Jan 10, 2023Lake Peipus, Estonia
Sep 22, 2024Autumnal equinox
Mar 8, 2020Joan charges Riverside Park
Mar 14, 2024Happy Pi Day!
May 7, 2020Where the wildflowers grow
Jan 9, 2024Balloon Ascension Day
Apr 26, 2021Cheese! We ll go somewhere where there s cheese!
Oct 16, 2025A Eurasian lynx in Siberia
Apr 1, 2022April Fools Day
Apr 9, 2026Sgwd yr Eira waterfall, Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, Wales
Oct 20, 2019Meet the slowest flirt in the animal world
Jun 26, 2019Get amped for Glastonbury
Feb 22, 2023Black History Month
Jan 12, 2022Take the Stairs Day
Sep 4, 2022Arambol Beach, Goa, India
Aug 14, 2020In the Navajo Nation for Code Talkers Day
May 27, 2022Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco
May 29, 2020It s Bermuda s big day
Sep 3, 2026Coyote Buttes, Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, Arizona
Jul 10, 2024Collared aracari in Costa Rica
Jun 25, 2023Al-Khazneh in Petra, Jordan
Jan 23, 2023Moai statues on Easter Island, Chile
Jun 26, 2022Pride 2022
Nov 30, 2019A big place to shop small