Zhangjiajie National Forest Park

It was an amazing experience. The nature is incredible and breathtaking. We managed to do half the park in a day so really plan 2-3 days to see EVERYTHING

The beauty of Zhangjiajie is the embodiment of the "three thousand peaks" described in textbooks, and the awe-inspiring experience only becomes apparent upon visiting. The peaks of Yuanjiajie are as if carved by a knife and axe; when the Qiankun Pillar is shrouded in mist, it truly resembles a floating wonderland from *Avatar*. The Bailong Elevator's 1 minute and 58-second vertical ascent offers a panoramic view of the peaks. Tianmen Mountain is a test of courage. The 1430-meter-high glass walkway is breathtaking, with the abyss below reflecting the blue sky and white clouds. The 999-step Heavenly Ladder leads to Tianmen Cave, where the mist passing through resembles a gate to heaven. The 7455-meter-high cable car is a marvel, traversing the clouds in 28 minutes, with peaks and valleys unfolding below. Jinbian Stream is a natural oxygen bar, with babbling brooks and playful macaques. The 7.5-kilometer trail is shaded by trees, making it an excellent summer retreat. However, during peak season, it's crowded, with long queues, and food on the mountain is expensive, so it's advisable to bring your own snacks. The landscape here possesses both ethereal beauty and wild charm, offering hikers the chance to discover hidden gems and adventurers the opportunity to push their limits. It's recommended to visit during off-peak seasons and wear comfortable hiking shoes to fully immerse yourself in this visual wonder bestowed upon us by Earth—no wonder it's an unforgettable experience.

We chose to go up with the cableway instead of the elevator, took us about five hours to climb down the mountain after going up. It was really beautiful. We got lots of snow at the peak which then defrosted as we went down. Luckily it wasn’t raining as we were there but generally the weather late December/early January is very rainy.

The route of the scenic area is relatively complicated, and the map of the scenic area is not easy to understand. The ticket is valid for four days, which shows that the scenic area is very large, so you must be mentally prepared. The most must-go areas are Yuanjiajie and Tianzi Mountain. The Qiankun Pillar and the No. 1 Bridge in the World in Yuanjiajie are the most worth seeing. The Xihai Peak Forest and Yubi Peak in Tianzi Mountain are simply invincible, and it is truly a place where you can linger. Other areas include Yangjiajie, Shilihualang, Jinbianxi, and Huangshizhai. It is most recommended to walk the large loop at the top of Huangshizhai Mountain. Other areas can be given up if you don't have enough time. Route planning is the most important thing to visit this scenic area.

[Scenery] Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is the first national forest park in China. It has breathtaking natural landscapes, including peculiar karst landforms, clear streams, and rich wildlife resources. It is also a magical place hidden in the northwest of Hunan Province, China, famous for its unique stone pillar peaks and dense primeval forests. [Fun] This is also the inspiration for the "Hallelujah Mountain" in the movie "Avatar", a dreamland that makes people feel like they are in another world.

We went on a May Day trip and it rained every day. Fortunately, it was sunny one day. It is recommended to play at the foot of the mountain on rainy days and go up the mountain on sunny days. Because there is fog on the mountain on rainy days, you can't see anything. For accommodation, it is recommended to stay at the East Gate and eat more. I stayed at the South Gate for one day, and there were few restaurants and the prices were very expensive.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park - Tianmen Mountain Three-Day Tour We also did a lot of strategy online in advance. Zhangjiajie is divided into two scenic spots, Wulingyuan and Tianmen Mountain. We chose to stay at the All Seasons Hotel near the Tianmen Mountain Cableway in the city for three days. Some friends also chose to stay near the Wulingyuan Scenic Area for the first two days and return to the city on the last day. For Wulingyuan, we booked tickets for the East Gate (Sign Gate) from 8:00 to 10:00 in the morning (Wulingyuan has four gates, and the ticket can be entered and exited at any gate unlimited times within four days, but the first day must strictly enter the park according to the purchased time and location). At 7:30 in the morning, wait for the tourist minibus (from the central bus station next to it) at the bus stop opposite the All Seasons Hotel, take the bus to the Sign Gate, about half an hour, enter from the East Gate Sign Gate, and then take the shuttle bus directly to the Bailong Elevator Station (do not get off at the Ten-Li Gallery and other stations in the middle). There is an observation deck next to the Bailong Elevator for taking pictures, and then take a bus to Yuanjiajie. After arriving in Yuanjiajie, walk to the No. 1 Bridge in the World. The scenery along the way is very good, and the journey takes about an hour and a half. Then take a bus from the parking lot of Tianxia No.1 Bridge to Yangjiajie. Yangjiajie is mainly a viewing platform. Then return to the parking lot and continue to take a bus to Tianzi Mountain. The main attractions of Tianzi Mountain are Fairy Scattering Flowers, Yubi Peak, and Helong Park. There is a McDonald's on Tianzi Mountain, where you can take a short break. After visiting the scenic spots, take the Tianzi Mountain cableway down to Shili Gallery, walk to the parking lot and take a bus back to the landmark gate. After leaving the door, walk to the big turntable opposite the Wulingyuan Building at the landmark gate and wait for the tourist minibus to return to the city. The next morning at 9:30, take a taxi from the city to the south gate of Forest Park Station. Enter the Oxygen Bar Square from the south gate, first take the cable car to Huangshizhai, and then take the cable car back to the Oxygen Bar Square after about an hour of sightseeing all the attractions. Then walk to the end of Jinbianxi, which takes about two hours. Then go to the Jinbianxi parking lot and take a bus to Shili Gallery. We take a sightseeing bus directly to Shili Gallery (you can also choose to walk back and forth), about half an hour of sightseeing, and still return to the parking lot of Shili Gallery, and then take a bus to the East Gate landmark gate. Return by tourist minibus. On the third day, the Tianmen Mountain Cableway Station was opposite the hotel. We bought tickets for Line A, which proved to be a correct choice. We took the cableway to the Tianmen Mountain Cableway Station at around 8:30. The upward cableway was very long and exciting. It crossed the city and several mountains and took about half an hour to reach the cableway station. There are two east-west lines on the mountain. You can go down the mountain in 20 minutes on the east line, or you can take half of the west line and then return to the cableway station to go to the east line. We chose to walk the whole way, from the west line to the top of the mountain to the east line. We walked along the mountain plank road (Guigu Plank Road) all the way, passing Li Na's villa, and then experienced the glass plank road on the west line (five yuan at your own expense), passing the cableway bridge to Tianmen Mountain Temple, which is also the intersection of the east and west lines. Here you can choose the middle line to take the mountaintop forest sightseeing cable car. We chose to continue walking along the east line signboard on the east line, passing the wing suit flight viewing platform, and were lucky enough to see the wing suit flight show, and then took the upper section of the mountain escalator (included in the ticket) down to the bottom of Tianmen Cave. When you reach the bottom of Tianmen Cave, those with good physical strength can choose to walk down the 999 steps. We continued to go down the mountain escalator (you need to buy your own ticket, the ticket price is 32 yuan)

I was amazed by the wonders of nature. I took the Tianmen Mountain Cableway, which was like being in a fairyland. Although it was summer, I was lucky and the weather was not too sunny. The ticket is valid for four days. One day is not enough and I don’t have enough energy. I only had one day to visit Tianmen Mountain, Yubi Peak, Helong Park, Yuanjiajie Scenic Area where Avatar was filmed, especially Qiankun Pillar, and took the Bailong Sky Elevator. This route allows me to visit all the main core scenic spots without having to go back. I didn’t go to Yangjiajie and other scenic spots. The ticket includes the car ticket in the scenic area, but does not include the ticket for the cableway and the sky ladder.