Tianmen Mountain

Tianmen Mountain takes its name after the Tianmen Cave, a natural karst cave under the mountain. The mountain is relatively gentle, full of old trees, winding vines, mosses, stalagmites, sits upon 494 acres. The rare mountaintop scenery makes it the most beautiful sky garden world over, and a paradise. Owing to this, it became Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park, a national forest park in 1992. The plank road and glass skywalks on the cliffs are worthwhile going. The mountain summit of a height of 4,982 feet (1,518 meters) is about 5 miles from the downtown Zhangjiajie. Below are the major spots to visit:
Tianmen Mountain
Tianmen Mountain in Mist
Tianmen Mountain
Winter Scenery on the Mountain
 

Tianmen Mountain Cableway: The World’s Longest Cableway

The cableway in Tianmen Mountain is the world's longest at a length of 24,458 feet (7,455 meters). It begins in the City Garden downtown, and ends on the summit. It hangs like a rainbow, and hints of being a dragon in the clouds. The cableway throughput is 1,000 passengers per hour, and it averages 28 minutes per trip. In high season you have to wait in line for hours.
 

Tianmen Cave
Tianmen Cave

Heaven-linking Avenue

Heaven-linking Avenue, also known as 99 Bending Road or Big Gate Road, is a most hazardous road. It was built in 1998 with 99 consecutive turnings, and a total length of 6.7 miles (10.77 kilometres) was the road wonder. You can watch it from the cable car. You can also get to the mountaintop by this road with the shuttle bus of Tianmen Mountain scenic area.
 

Tianmen Cave: The Portal to the Heaven

The principal attraction on Tianmen Mountain, Tianmen Cave is a grand karst cave 431 feet high, 187 feet wide and 197 feet deep spanning under the mountain. Looking from afar, the cave looks like a way up to the heaven, hence the name, Tianmen, meaning Heavenly Door. The cave is shrouded by the year-round dense mists. Sometimes, cloaks of clouds gather at the cave's opening, with the sun glowing through it. , forming magical scenery.
 

Tianmen Mountain Temple

Tianmen Mountain Temple, on 5 acres of land, and featured by the overhanging eaves, is the western Hunan regional Buddhism centre. It started building in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and rebuilt in 2002. The temple enshrines one of the five relics of Sakyamuni Buddha in China. From the square in front of the temple, you get a panoramic view of the mountain.
 

Glass Skywalk

The glass skywalk marks the Tianmen Mountain tour climax. It is most fitting for the adventurous. On sunny days, the blue sky and white clouds accompany your walk. You will be both pleased and shocked by the sensation of walking on the clouds and the drop into the void below your feet. On cloudy days, the view of the glass corridor itself is a sensation. Now there are three glass skywalks in the east, west and Panlong Cliff respectively.
 See also: Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge
 

Recommended Touring Routes

 Take the cable car from the downtown City Garden to the summit → enjoy the sky garden on the peak →take the escalator down to the Tianmen Cave → after exploring Tianmen Cave, get down to the entrance gate by sightseeing bus → change to a shuttle bus for downtown
 Take the shuttle bus from City Garden to the entrance gate → reach the Tianmen Cave by sightseeing bus → after sightseeing, take the escalator up to the summit → tour the sky garden on the peak → take the cable car back to the City Garden

Map of Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain
Map of Tianmen Mountain
 

How to Get to Tianmen Mountain

By Bus

 From Zhangjiajie Railway Station, take bus no. 102 to Wuling Natural Specialties Tourism Shopping Mall, taking 20 minutes and CNY 2. The cable car station is nearby.
 From Zhangjiajie West Railway Station, take bus no. 17 to Wuling Natural Specialties Tourism Shopping Mall, taking CNY 2 and one hour.
 From Zhangjiajie International Airport, take bus no. 4 to Wuling Natural Specialties Tourism Shopping Mall, taking CNY 2 and 45 minutes.
 From Wulingyuan Scenic Area: Take a direct bus at Wulingyuan Bus Station to Zhangjiajie Central Bus Station, and walk northward for about 10 minutes to Tianmen Mountain Cable Car station, taking CNY 13 and 1.3h.
 

By Taxi

 From Zhangjiajie Railway Station: CNY 10; 5min
 From Zhangjiajie West Railway Station: CNY 25-30; 20min
 From Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport: CNY 20-25; 15min
 

Ticket Price & Opening Hours

Admission Fee + Cable Car Round Trip CNY 278 for adults;
CNY147 for the minors aged 14-18 and seniors aged 60-65;
CNY 116  for children under 14 yrs old and over 1.2m (3.9 feet) and the seniors over 65.
Free for children under 1.2m (3.9 feet) if not taking a seat.
Admission Fee + Cable Car Single Trip CNY 235 for adults;
CNY 126 for the minors aged 14-18 and seniors aged 60-65;
CNY 95 for children under 14 yrs old and over 1.2m (3.9 feet) and the seniors over 65.
Free for children under 1.2m (3.9 feet) if not taking a seat.
Surcharges Chairlift on the mountain top: CNY 25 for adults; CNY 13 for the minors and seniors over 60.
Tianmen Cave Escalator: CNY 32 for adults, CNY 16 for the minors and seniors over 60.

Both are free for children under 1.2m (3.9ft).
Opening Hours 08:30 - 16:00

  Top 9 Things to Do in Zhangjiajie
- Last updated on Mar. 14, 2024 by Gabby Li -
Questions & Answers on Tianmen Mountain
Asked by Andrew from USA | Dec. 31, 2023 23:05Reply
About how much walking is there between the summit and and entrance gate?
Is there a significant amount of stairs/slope or is most of the elevation change done on the escalators?
Answers (1)
Answered by Daisy | Jan. 03, 2024 00:14
00Reply


You don't need to walk too much but you may need to queue for the escalators.
Asked by Jenny from MALAYSIA | Dec. 11, 2023 00:30Reply
Tianmen Mountain by walking
Hello, may I know can I walking up to Tianmen Mountain and glass sky walk? I don't feel like taking cable car and escalator because I have 6 days in Zhangjiajie so I prefer to walk all the way up to Tianmen Mountain
Answers (3)
Answered by Hailey | Dec. 11, 2023 18:27
00Reply


Yes, it is possible to walk.
Answered by Maria | Dec. 13, 2023 02:06
00Reply


how long will it take to walk up? and how to walk down if its not by cable car? the cable car ticket is two way or only one way?
Answered by Jessica | Dec. 13, 2023 19:38
00Reply


If you just mean climbing the steps, it takes about 1 hour. If you mean the complete visit time, it needs more, about 4-6 hours. The round-trip cable car costs CNY 275 per person.
Asked by Mike from USA | Nov. 05, 2023 03:48Reply
Luggage storage
Hi do you have any recommendation on where luggage can be stored if I directly want to go to the cable car station without going to the hotel first? Is luggage storage possible at the west train station or the cable car station?
Answers (1)
Answered by James | Nov. 05, 2023 23:16
00Reply


Yes, there is a luggage storage place near the cable car station.
Asked by Peter from UNITED KINGDOM | Oct. 07, 2023 01:41Reply
Cable car maintenance schedule
Hello, can you tell me if the cable cars will close in November for maintenance please. If so what dates.
Answers (1)
Answered by Maria | Oct. 07, 2023 18:16
00Reply


Until now, we haven't received such notice.
Asked by Chaiphat from THAILAND | Aug. 30, 2023 21:45Reply
Tianmenshan ticket
I will take train from Fenghuanggucheng to Zhangjiajie west train time is 8.30-9.29. then I will go to tianmenshan after finish tianmenshan, i will take the bus to wulingyuan. Is it enough time on Tianmen Mountain?
I can buy tianmenshan ticket at the counter right? i would like to take A line or B line ticket.
if need to buy tianmenshan ticket in advance, how to buy the ticket, which channel or website.?
Answers (1)
Answered by Molly | Aug. 30, 2023 23:15
00Reply


Sightseeing Tianmen Mountain needs at least one day because you need to line up for cable cars.

The tickets are available at the counter but you may wait for a super long time. So it is suggested to book it on its official website in advance.
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