The South Heavenly Gate marks the top of the final great staircase and the entry to the summit ridge. The gate itself is a fortified Yuan-dynasty stone structure with three arches; passing through it brings you out onto Tianjie ("Heaven Street"), a flat paved alley lined with shops and small temples that runs along the spine of the mountain.
The view back down the staircase from the platform in front of the gate is the photo that everyone takes — a vertiginous tumble of steps disappearing into pine forest, with the city laid out in the haze far below. The cable car from the Midway Gate arrives a short walk west of the gate.