天门洞，湖南天门山国家森林公园，中国 Heaven's Gate Cave in Tianmen Mountain National Park, China (© Shane P. White/Minden Pictures)

天门洞，湖南天门山国家森林公园，中国 Heaven's Gate Cave in Tianmen Mountain National Park, China (© Shane P. White/Minden Pictures)

通往天门的阶梯 Stairway to heaven

天门洞，湖南天门山国家森林公园

这张照片所呈现的石拱就是天门洞，它是湖南省北部最受欢迎的标志性景点之一，位于湖南天门山国家森林公园内。要想到达天门洞，你要么选择乘坐缆车，要么乘坐公共汽车穿过有九十九道弯的公路。下车后，你还需要步行登上陡峭的九百九十九级天梯。天门洞海拔高度有4100英尺，整个洞高440英尺、宽180英尺。尽管到达天门洞并非易事，但这趟行程绝对物超所值。

Heaven's 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.