Tianmen Mountain in Winter: Heaven’s Gate, Glass Walkways and 99 Bends

Tianmen Mountain’s great natural arch looks like a window cut into the sky. Around it, glass-floored paths cling to sheer cliffs and a road folds back on itself in 99 tight bends. In winter, frost coats the summit forest and turns the whole mountain into a delicate white garden.

Tianmen Mountain: Heaven’s Gate in Zhangjiajie

Tianmen Shan, “Heaven’s Gate Mountain”, rises to 1,518.6 metres (4,982 ft) inside Tianmen Mountain National Park, right beside the city of Zhangjiajie in northwestern Hunan Province. Hunan’s official tourism description lists it among the province’s 5A scenic areas, China’s highest tourism grade.

The mountain takes its name from Tianmen Cave, a huge natural arch 131.5 metres (431 ft) high that opens straight through the rock. A stairway of 999 steps, known as the Stairway to Heaven, climbs steeply to the mouth of the arch.

On the summit stands Tianmenshan Temple. The original Tang-dynasty temple was destroyed in the early 20th century, and the rebuilt complex in Tang style now covers about 2 hectares.

Cable car and the 99 bends of Tongtian Avenue

Most visitors ride up on the Tianmen cable car, built in 2005 by the French company Poma. With 98 cabins, it runs 7,455 metres and climbs 1,279 metres, at gradients of up to 37 degrees; tourist publications bill it as the world’s longest high-mountain passenger cableway.

The other way up is Tongtian Avenue, an 11 km road with 99 hairpin bends that snakes to the foot of the arch.

Cliff walkways and the glass skywalk

Tianmen’s most famous attractions are its plank walkways, bolted to the vertical cliffs high above the valley. Several sections have glass floors, so you look straight down between your feet. The Coiling Dragon Cliff glass skywalk, which looks down over the bends of Tongtian Avenue, opened in August 2016.

For more on the walkways, see Tianmen Mountain: The Glass Walkway and the Wider Route.

A stage for daredevils

The cliffs and the arch have drawn a long line of stunts. French climber Alain Robert scaled the wall below the arch without protection in 2007. Tianmen also hosted the first and second World Wingsuit Championships. In September 2016 Fabio Barone drove the 99 bends in a Ferrari 458 Italia in 10 minutes 31 seconds, and in 2018 a hybrid Range Rover Sport drove up the 999 steps to Heaven’s Gate.

Visiting Tianmen Mountain in winter

Winter brings frost to the summit forest and moody cloud that can hide and reveal the cliffs within minutes. Clear days give long views over the karst peaks; foggy days give the frosted, dreamlike scenes in these photographs.

• Getting there: base yourself in Zhangjiajie city and go up by cable car or by road.
• Time: allow a full day for the cable car, the cliff walks, the temple and the descent via the 999 steps and Tongtian Avenue.
• Winter tip: wear shoes with good grip, as walkways can be icy, and check the day’s openings at the ticket office, since individual paths close in bad weather.

For other mountain roads and ridges, explore Switzerland’s Furka Pass and Besseggen in Norway.

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