Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park

About this experience

Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park is one of China's most dramatic and visually extraordinary natural attractions, located just 8 kilometres from the city centre of Zhangjiajie in Hunan Province, central China. Rising to an elevation of 1,518 metres above sea level and cloaked in dense subtropical forest, Tianmen Mountain — whose name translates as Heaven's Gate Mountain — is celebrated across China and the world for its combination of spectacular karst limestone scenery, vertiginous cliffside walkways, the legendary Tianmen Cave natural arch, and the world's longest cable car journey, which delivers guests from the city of Zhangjiajie to the mountain summit in a breathtaking 7.5-kilometre aerial voyage across some of the most dramatic mountain terrain in Asia. The mountain has been revered in Chinese culture for over 1,500 years and holds deep Taoist and Buddhist spiritual significance — its temples, pavilions, and sacred sites woven into the forested landscape alongside the natural wonders that draw millions of visitors from across China and the world each year.

The mountain experience is built around four signature attractions that together deliver one of the most complete and sensationally varied natural heritage experiences available anywhere in China. The Tianmen Mountain Cableway — at 7.5 kilometres the longest passenger cable car in the world — ascends from the Zhangjiajie city base station to the mountain's summit plateau in a journey of approximately 30 minutes, passing through dramatic changes in altitude, vegetation, and cloud cover that make the ride itself one of the most spectacular in the world regardless of the destination at its upper end. The mountain summit plateau is home to an extensive network of walking trails, forested pathways, and viewpoint terraces that weave through ancient woodland and along the edges of sheer limestone cliffs — including the celebrated Coiling Dragon Cliff glass-bottomed skywalk, a 1,600-metre transparent walkway cantilevered directly out from the cliff face at a height of over 1,430 metres that delivers an experience of vertiginous intensity matched by very few natural attractions anywhere on earth. The 999 Steps — a steep stone staircase ascending directly through the cliff face to Tianmen Cave — provide an alternative and physically demanding approach to the mountain's most iconic feature. Tianmen Cave itself is the centrepiece of the entire mountain experience — a vast natural arch approximately 131 metres high and 57 metres wide that pierces entirely through the cliff face to frame a perfectly circular window of sky on the far side, creating one of the most dramatically beautiful natural formations in the world and the image most closely associated with Tianmen Mountain in Chinese and international popular culture.

A full visit to Tianmen Mountain typically requires between 6 and 8 hours to cover the cableway, summit plateau trails, glass skywalk, and Tianmen Cave at a comfortable and rewarding pace. The park operates an internal bus system connecting the various summit attractions for guests who prefer not to walk the full trail network between sites. Entry tickets cover the cableway, internal buses, and access to all summit attractions within the park boundary. Advance booking is strongly recommended during Chinese public holidays and the peak summer and autumn seasons when visitor numbers are at their highest. The mountain is fully operational year-round, though winter visits offer dramatically different conditions — snow-covered landscapes and mist-filled valleys of extraordinary atmospheric beauty — compared to the lush green subtropical environment of the warmer months.

Highlights

• Ride the world's longest cable car — a breathtaking 7.5 km aerial journey from Zhangjiajie city to the Tianmen Mountain summit plateau high above the clouds.
• Walk the Coiling Dragon Cliff glass-bottomed skywalk — a 1,600 m transparent walkway cantilevered from the cliff face at over 1,430 metres above the valley floo
• Witness Tianmen Cave — a monumental natural arch 131 metres high piercing entirely through the cliff face, one of the most iconic natural formations in the worl
• Explore the summit plateau's ancient forested trails, Taoist temples, pavilions, and vertiginous cliff-edge viewpoints across a landscape of extraordinary natur
• Just 8 kilometres from Zhangjiajie city centre — one of China's most dramatically accessible mountain experiences, combining natural wonder, culture, and thrill

How to use

1. Show Mobile Ticket
2. At Redemption Counter

What to expect

Guests arrive at the Tianmen Mountain Cableway base station in central Zhangjiajie — easily reachable on foot or by taxi from the city's hotels and transport hubs — where tickets are purchased or scanned and the boarding queue for the cable car gondolas begins. The cableway journey to the summit is the park experience's most immediately overwhelming moment — the gondola ascending steeply from the city streets through successive layers of forest, cliff face, and cloud cover across a 30-minute voyage that delivers constantly changing and increasingly dramatic panoramas as the altitude increases and the urban environment below recedes into the mist-filled valley. The transition from the busy city at the base to the ancient, forest-covered silence of the summit plateau at the journey's upper end is one of the most dramatic and memorable arrival experiences available at any natural attraction in China.

On the summit plateau, guests board the internal park bus service or set out on foot along the network of clearly marked walking trails that connect the plateau's key attractions across a landscape of ancient woodland, Taoist temple complexes, and dramatic cliff-edge viewpoints. The Coiling Dragon Cliff glass-bottomed skywalk is typically the summit's most anticipated attraction — the approach along the narrow cliff-face pathway building anticipation before the transparent glass panels of the walkway open the view directly downward through the visitor's feet to the valley floor more than a kilometre below in a sensation of vertiginous intensity that even guests who consider themselves unafraid of heights often find more affecting than they expected. The 999 Steps — the steep stone staircase cut directly through the cliff face — provide the most physically demanding and historically atmospheric route to Tianmen Cave, ascending through the rock itself to emerge at the cave's lower threshold where the full scale of the natural arch becomes immediately and overwhelmingly apparent.

Tianmen Cave — experienced from both below and above as the trail network passes through and above the arch — is the mountain visit's most spiritually and visually profound moment, the vast natural opening framing a perfectly circular window of light and sky that has drawn Chinese pilgrims, poets, and painters to this mountain for fifteen centuries and continues to stop every visitor in their tracks with a force of natural beauty that photographs, however impressive, consistently fail to fully convey. The descent from the summit is made via the park's mountain road bus service — a thrilling journey down the famous Tianmen Mountain Road with its 99 bends carved into the cliff face — before guests return to the city at the base, concluding a visit that most describe as one of the most visually spectacular and emotionally resonant natural experiences available anywhere in China.

Things to note

• No general age restrictions for the park. The glass skywalk and 999 Steps require reasonable fitness and mobility.
• The park is extremely busy during Chinese Golden Week, National Day, and summer school holidays.
• The glass skywalk and outdoor trails may close during rain, ice, or strong wind conditions.
• No dress code required for the park. Modest attire is appropriate when visiting Taoist temples on the summit.
• Outside food and beverages are permitted within the park grounds.

Terms & conditions

[Important notice] Due to the overall upgrade and renovation of the Tianmen Mountain Cableway, the section from the cableway's middle station to the summit station will be suspended starting from November 6, 2025. The section from the downtown Tianmen Mountain Cableway Lower Station to the middle station will continue to operate normally. If your travel date is on or after November 6, please refer to the temporary announcement on the attraction's homepage for detailed route operation policies.
1. [Real-name system and time-slot based ticket checking]
The attraction implements time-slot reservations. You must enter during your selected time slot and cannot enter early. If you arrive after your selected time slot, you may still enter before the attraction stops ticket checking on the day of your visit, but you must comply with the on-site management rules and enter during the time slot requested by the staff.
2. [Optional transportation and experience items] If you wish to participate, please pay on-site.
Summit Forest Sightseeing Cable Car: A double chairlift style, running from the highest point of the summit, "Yunmeng Xianding," to Tianmen Mountain Temple, with a total length of approx. 800m. One-way ticket price: ¥25, discounted price: ¥13.
Tianmen Mountain Escalator: Connects the square below Tianmen Cave to the cave itself. The entire section consists of 5 levels with a total of 10 heavy-duty large escalators, allowing two-way traffic. It serves as an alternative to the walking steps in front of Tianmen Cave. One-way ticket price: $32, discounted price: $16.
Three glass walkways: These are optional experience facilities for visitors, with a service fee of $5 for each walkway. The glass walkways are not part of the core attractions included in the admission ticket and may be temporarily closed due to severe weather, safety maintenance, construction work, or other reasons without prior notice. We appreciate your understanding.
3. [Self-driving parking]
Currently, the Tianmen Mountain Cableway Lower Station is undergoing comprehensive quality improvement and renovation, so its parking lot is temporarily unavailable. Self-driving visitors with Line A tickets should park at other parking lots near the Tianmen Mountain Cableway Lower Station (such as Dianda Plaza Underground Parking Lot, Huatian City Underground Parking Lot, etc.).
4. Insurance issue
The 3 yuan insurance included in the tour combo ticket is optional. If you do not need it, you can request a refund for the insurance amount at the attraction's customer service center before entering on the day of your visit.
5. Invoice Issues
For guests who require an invoice, please provide the invoice details (title, tax ID, email) to the platform's customer support within 15 days after 5 PM on the day of your visit.
6. Wait in Line Prompt
If there are many visitors at the attraction, you may need to wait in line. The actual waiting duration will depend on the current situation. We appreciate your understanding.
7. Sub-attraction closed for renovation
Please note that in case of weather conditions or other force majeure factors, some transportation within the attraction may be partially closed for visitor safety. This will not be considered a valid reason for ticket refunds before travel or after entry through the turnstiles. If this is a concern, please consider your purchase carefully. Present your Original ID used for booking + e-voucher or printed admission ticket + valid physical student ID of the ticket holder for direct verification and access.;Location of use;Tianmen Mountain Attraction Gate C Line, Zhangjiajie Ticket gate;Time of use;The reserved timeslot at the time of booking will be honored.;This product does not support online ID verification. A successful purchase does not guarantee eligibility for student concession policies. On the travel date, visitors must bring the ID type specified during booking, their original valid student ID, and either an electronic or printed admission ticket to the attraction's ticket gate for staff verification. If verification shows ineligibility for concession policies, please cooperate by purchasing the full-price ticket. Otherwise, the attraction reserves the right to deny entry. Thank you. If you have concerns, please consider carefully before purchasing. Thank you. Present your Original ID used for booking + e-voucher or printed admission ticket + valid physical student ID of the ticket holder for direct verification and access. Location of use Tianmen Mountain Attraction Gate C Line, Zhangjiajie Ticket gate Time of use The reserved timeslot at the time of booking will be honored. This product does not support online ID verification. A successful purchase does not guarantee eligibility for student concession policies. On the travel date, visitors must bring the ID type specified during booking, their original valid student ID, and either an electronic or printed admission ticket to the attraction's ticket gate for staff verification. If verification shows ineligibility for concession policies, please cooperate by purchasing the full-price ticket. Otherwise, the attraction reserves the right to deny entry. Thank you. If you have concerns, please consider carefully before purchasing. Thank you.