Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, area by area

The four main areas

Yuanjiajie

Railed, mostly flat cliff-top walkways with the three views everyone comes for: the Lost Soul Platform (Mihuntai), the Hallelujah pillar and the First Bridge Under Heaven, a natural rock arch. Allow one to three hours. This is most people’s first stop, and it has its own page: the Avatar mountains.

Tianzi Mountain

The highest viewpoints over the whole pillar forest, with a cable car up and down (one way ¥72; the ride takes a little over six minutes). The walking trails down — Wolonglin and Nantianmen — are open.

Yangjiajie

Wilder ridges and far fewer people, with its own cable car (one way ¥76, about five minutes; the line is 1,971 m long with a 517 m rise). Add it if you have time after Yuanjiajie.

Huangshizhai

The classic first climb, a plateau with a loop of viewpoints and a cable car (one way ¥65; 973 m long, 430 m rise). The trail down the back of Huangshizhai is currently closed, so plan to return the way you came or by cable car.

The valley walks

Golden Whip Stream (Jinbianxi) is a flat two-to-three-hour walk along a stream between the pillars. Ten-Mile Gallery (Shili Hualang) is a 5 km valley with a small sightseeing train. Both are good rainy-day choices; neither fits into a one-day plan.

Tickets and getting in

• The park ticket is ¥165 and valid for four consecutive days, counted from the day you first enter. You can buy it in advance.
• The in-park shuttle bus is separate: ¥72 for unlimited rides over the same four days, or a combined ticket of ¥236. The bus is how you move between areas, so almost everyone needs it.
• There are five gates: East (Wujiayu, the “landmark gate”), South (Forest Park), West (Yangjiajie), North (Tianzi Mountain) and Central (Zimugang). All have luggage storage.
• Entry is by timed, named reservation: book a gate and a time slot with your passport details. Each ticket can be changed twice.
• At the east gate the standard routes are fixed — route A goes up by the Tianzi Mountain cable car and down by the Bailong Elevator, route B the reverse. Changing on the day is often not possible; change online in advance.
• Foreign visitors aged 65 and over enter free; 60–64 pay half. The shuttle bus is charged as normal and the cable cars and lift have no senior fare.

There are no fixed last departures for the cable cars, the lift or the shuttle buses — they run by demand each day. Plan to be at your last cable car well before dusk. Prices and timetables last checked October 2026; they change — treat them as a guide, not a quote.

Bailong Elevator and the three cable cars

The Bailong Elevator holds the Guinness record for the highest outdoor lift (set in 2015). It has three cars; when one is being serviced the other two keep running. The closest gate to its lower station is the Central gate. There is no separate time-slot booking and no paid fast lane.

The one-day route

If you have a single day, do this: enter at the East gate, take the Bailong Elevator up, walk the Yuanjiajie cliff path (add Yangjiajie if you are quick), continue to Tianzi Mountain and take its cable car down. Leave Golden Whip Stream for another day. With two days, use the second for Huangshizhai plus one of the valley walks.

What to expect on the ground

• Mornings are quieter and clearer; the cloud seas, when they happen, are early.
• The cliff paths at Yuanjiajie are railed and mostly flat. The steep parts are the optional stairs, such as the 2.3 km climb up from the valley to Yuanjiajie if you skip the lift.
• Rain is normal here and the park stays open; see the weather page for how to order your days around it.