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:

Jul 8, 2019Make your way up a picturesque passageway of Chefchaouen
May 18, 2019A ‘city’ within Valencia
Aug 29, 2024Castellfollit de la Roca, Catalonia, Spain
Dec 6, 2021Computer Science EDU Week
Feb 10, 2024Happy Lunar New Year!
May 26, 2018Honoring the first American woman in space
Oct 28, 2024Pumpkin field, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Apr 20, 2023Juniper Springs, Florida
Jul 24, 2025Happy Cousins Day!
Oct 24, 2025Night view of the RMS Queen Mary, Long Beach, California
Feb 12, 2021The cycle begins anew
Jun 28, 2024Pride 2024
Jun 30, 2018The aftermath of a meteorite
Jan 5, 2024International Ice and Snow Sculpture Festival, Harbin, China
Oct 29, 2020Let s get lost
Sep 30, 2024Walruses in Svalbard, Norway
Jun 28, 2023Pride Month
Nov 21, 20222022 FIFA World Cup
Feb 20, 2019An unlikely friendship in the wild
Nov 14, 2020Decorating for Diwali
Jul 8, 2018Travel Sunday: Flamenco in Granada, Andalusia, Spain
Feb 26, 2024Grand Canyon National Park turns 105
Nov 1, 2023Native American Heritage Month
Jan 8, 2019A stunning national park in winter white
May 30, 2022Memorial Day
Oct 10, 2019A star blows a bubble
Apr 23, 2025Shakespeare Day
Apr 20, 2020In the Garden of Europe
May 9, 2023A castle fit for a count
Jan 4, 2026Kings Mountain, Chugach Mountains, Alaska