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

More Desktop Wallpapers:

Jun 26, 2018Celebrating Madagascar on its Independence Day
Feb 1, 2019‘Stepping’ into Black History Month
Sep 11, 2024Patriot Day
Aug 29, 2018A spectacle unlike any other
Mar 27, 2021Blink and you ll miss it
Dec 27, 2018A wonderland in winter
Nov 30, 2024Saint Andrews Day
Sep 12, 2024World Dolphin Day
Apr 8, 2020Santorini through the clouds
Dec 18, 2019It’s Weihnachtsmarkt time!
Mar 3, 2020All eyes on sustainability
Feb 23, 2023The lights of Paris
Sep 12, 2022Chestnut-eared aracari in the Pantanal, Brazil
Jul 27, 2023Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel and the Louvre Pyramid
Mar 2, 2025Megalong Valley, Blue Mountains National Park, Australia
Apr 5, 2019A day of death and rebirth
Dec 16, 2018Holidays in the Venetian Lagoon
Jul 14, 2024La Geria wine region, Lanzarote, Canary Islands
Aug 17, 2024International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend
Aug 28, 2022Bearded reedlings in Flevoland
Apr 6, 2019Make way for robots
Aug 3, 2023Zelenci Nature Reserve, Slovenia
Jan 22, 2022Martinique
May 11, 2020A tree amid the Tetons
Feb 13, 2023El Valle de la Luna, Chile
Aug 25, 2024National Park Service Founders Day
Feb 22, 2019A rest stop for the birds
Dec 31, 2022New Year s Eve in Sydney, Australia
Sep 22, 2022First day of autumn
Jul 10, 2024Collared aracari in Costa Rica