Zhangjiajie / Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area

#November Destinations 2025 Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area: A Fairyland Gateway Suspended Above the City Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park, located in Yongding District, Zhangjiajie City, Hunan Province, is Zhangjiajie's second national forest park and a landmark scenic area. Its core feature is a massive karst plateau-shaped isolated mountain, rising abruptly from the ground to an altitude of 1518.6 meters, with sheer cliffs on all sides, earning it the title of "The First Sacred Mountain of Western Hunan." The scenic area is renowned for its Tianmen Cave, a rare natural cave that penetrates the mountain, and for the perfect combination of top-notch man-made engineering projects and natural wonders, including the Tianmen Mountain Cableway, the Tongtian Avenue, and the Guigu Plank Road, offering a comprehensive tour experience that integrates adventure, wonder, beauty, and fantasy. 📍Core Attractions and Experiences 1. Four Breathtaking Wonders * **Tianmen Cave:** The world's highest natural through-mountain cave, 131.5 meters high, 57 meters wide, and 60 meters deep, resembling a gateway to heaven, appearing like a dream when shrouded in mist. * **Tianmen Cableway:** The world's longest mountain passenger cableway (7455 meters long), connecting the city center to the mountaintop, traversing cities, fields, canyons, and cliffs, offering unparalleled panoramic views. * **Tongtian Avenue:** The winding mountain road leading to Tianmen Cave, with 99 bends, resembling a jade belt, tightly connected, hailed as "the world's number one highway wonder." * **Yunmeng Xianding:** The highest point of Tianmen Mountain, offering panoramic views of Zhangjiajie city and surrounding mountains, the best spot to watch the sea of ​​clouds and sunrise. 2. Mountain Top Sky Garden: A Walk on the Cliff * **East-West Glass Skywalk:** A transparent walkway built along the cliff face, divided into east and west sections. Walking on it with a sheer drop below is extremely thrilling. * **Guiguzi Plank Road:** Located on the west side of the mountain, this 1600-meter-long cliffside plank road is named for its location above the Guiguzi Cave. The scenery along the way is breathtaking and rugged. * **Tianmen Mountain Temple:** An ancient temple built in the Tang Dynasty, located on the mountaintop, it is the Buddhist center of western Hunan and enjoys great popularity. * **Suspension Bridge and Viewing Platforms:** Multiple carefully designed viewing points offer diverse perspectives of the peaks and valleys. 3. Profound History and Culture * **Taoist Holy Land:** Historically regarded as the cultural and spiritual center of Zhangjiajie, it retains numerous Taoist cultural relics and legends (such as Guiguzi Cave and the Alchemy Platform). * **Modern Legends:** Events such as the 1999 flight through Tianmen Cave and numerous World Wingsuit Flying Championships have imbued it with a modern spirit of challenge. 📍Practical Tourist Information · Address: Yongding District, Zhangjiajie City, Hunan Province (Cable car lower station is located in the city center). · Tour Routes (Choose one of three, advance booking with real name required): · Route A: Cable car up the mountain → Road down the mountain (The most classic route, the cable car goes directly to the top, after visiting the top, take the escalator through the mountain to Tianmen Cave, then down the mountain). · Route B: Road up the mountain → Cable car down the mountain (Experience Tongtian Avenue first, visit Tianmen Cave, then take the escalator to the top, then the cable car down the mountain). · Route C: Road up the mountain → Road down the mountain (Round trip by eco-friendly bus, excluding the main cable car, suitable for those who cannot take the cable car). · Core Attractions: 1. Mountain Top Area: Visit in the following order: West Line (Ghost Valley Plank Road, Glass Plank Road, Suspension Bridge) → East Line (Glass Plank Road, Tianmen Mountain Temple) → Yunmeng Xianding. 2. Tianmen Cave Area: 999-step Heavenly Ladder (challengeable by climbing or purchasing tickets for the escalator), Tianmen Cave Square, close-up view of Tianmen Cave. • Tickets and Time: • Tickets are a package deal, including cable car/eco-friendly bus, mountaintop forest sightseeing cable car (optional), and mountain-penetrating escalator (partial sections). Prices vary seasonally. • The entire tour takes approximately 5-7 hours; a full day is recommended. • Advance booking via the official platform with real-name verification and selection of entry time slots is mandatory. • Best Seasons: Spring (April-May): Wildflowers in full bloom; Summer (June-August): Cool and refreshing, but often rainy and foggy; Autumn (September-November): Clear skies and best views; Winter (December-February): Snowscapes and rime ice, offering unique charm (but some walkways may be closed). • Clothing and Safety: The temperature at the mountaintop is 5-10℃ lower than in the city, and it is windy; a jacket is necessary. Wear comfortable, non-slip athletic shoes. Exercise caution when exploring the plank roads; those with a fear of heights should proceed with caution. Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area is a comprehensive tourist destination that perfectly blends the wonders of nature, the magnificence of human engineering, and the mystique of Taoist culture. It's more than just a mountain; it's an immersive journey from the modern city to a celestial realm. Here, you can experience the "one-step-to-heaven" cable car, the "winding and meandering" road, the thrill of the "suspended walk," the awe-inspiring "opening of the Heavenly Gate," and the ethereal beauty of the "fairyland on the cloud top." For tourists with limited time, Tianmen Mountain is the best choice for the fastest and most concentrated experience of Zhangjiajie's "unique and perilous" characteristics. It tells the world in the most extreme way: fairyland is not out of reach.