The Tianmen Mountain Road winds up the mountain face in exactly 99 hairpin bends — a deliberate design choice, the number nine having auspicious resonance in Chinese culture. The road reaches from the lower approaches to near the mountain's rim, climbing through successive bands of forest, cliff, and cloud with views that open and close with each turn.
Tourist buses use the road as part of the standard circuit, and passengers can see the full sequence of bends unfolding below as they ascend. The road has been used for motorsport events, including the Tianmen Mountain Road Race in which cars drove the hairpins at racing speed — the event brought international attention to the road. The drive itself, even at bus speed, is one of the mountain's more unusual experiences.