Outer Gate of Gondolin

The Dry River was the hidden way into Gondolin, leading into a dark tunnel beneath the mountains of the Echoriath. This underground passage was under the watch of the Dark Guard,¹ who guarded the Outer Gate of Gondolin. The Gate itself, also called the First Gate or the Gate of Wood, was a portcullis barring a stone archway that led out of the tunnel and into the Orfalch Echor. From there the Orfalch, a long narrow pass through the mountains, ran through the remaining Gates of Gondolin until it reached the plain of Tumladen on which stood the fabled city itself.