When does the Bailong Elevator run, and how long are the queues?
The Bailong Elevator links the valley on the Shuiraosimen side of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park with Yuanjiajie above. It opens at 7:00 with the park, or 6:30 on public holidays, and usually stops at 18:00, or 17:00 in winter, depending on crowds. There are three elevators, and the queue up is usually longer than the queue down.
You do not book a time slot for the elevator itself. You do book your park gate and time slot in advance, and that choice decides how easily you reach the elevator. See our Zhangjiajie ticket rules and the free English map of the park. This page covers hours, queues, gates, what happens at the top and what to do during maintenance.
1. What the Bailong Elevator is: the numbers
The Bailong Elevator is an outdoor elevator on a sandstone cliff; Guinness World Records lists it as the tallest outdoor elevator, 326 m, certified in 2015. The lower section, about 154 m, runs inside a shaft in the rock; the upper section, about 172 m, runs up an open steel frame on the cliff face, in glass-sided cabins, so the peaks appear halfway up.
| Item | Figure |
|---|---|
| Height | 326 m (Guinness World Records, certified 2015) |
| Sections | Lower section about 154 m inside a shaft in the rock; upper section about 172 m on the open cliff face |
| Number of elevators | 3 |
| Capacity at peak times | Nearly 7,000 rides an hour |
| One-way ticket | CNY 65 |
| History | Opened in 2002; upgraded in 2013 |
Published ride times and passenger numbers per car vary widely from source to source, so we do not quote them. For park tickets, buses, cable cars and the elevator together, see Zhangjiajie tickets and costs.
2. Opening and closing times
The elevator opens at 7:00 with the park, or 6:30 on public holidays, when the park opens half an hour early. Closing time is set on the day by crowds: usually 18:00, or 17:00 in winter. On busy days the queue down can run late, so join it early rather than near closing time.
- In winter, plan your day around the 17:00 closing.
- Ordinary rain and fog do not stop the elevator; it stops only when the park issues a notice. We check the notices on the morning you set out.
3. Queues: up or down, and when to go
Normally the queue up is longer than the queue down: visitors tend to ride up in the morning and down in the afternoon. At Spring Festival and in the summer holidays, even the queue down can reach nearly an hour. To queue less, enter at opening time, or go up by the Tianzi cable car and down by the elevator.
- The up-by-cable-car, down-by-elevator route is East Gate Line A. See ticket rules for how Line A and Line B work.
- LED screens at the ticket stations, cable car stations and elevator stations show live waiting times, and our guides use them to change the order of the day.
- On the May Day holiday in 2026, one visitor entered at 6:45 on East Gate Line A (cable car up, elevator down) and queued only about 10 minutes for the elevator. One report from September 2026: into the park at 7:30, at Yuanjiajie by 8:20.
- There is no fast-track or VIP lane to buy at present, so everyone queues.
4. Which gate to use
The gate nearest the elevator’s lower station is the Middle Gate (Zimugang ticket station); you can also enter at the East Gate (Wujiayu) and ride the eco-bus there. East Gate tickets are Line A or Line B, and Line B goes up by the elevator. In 2023 the park suggested this route: Middle Gate in, elevator up, Tianzi cable car down.
Every park entry is booked for a gate and a time slot, and changing your line at the gate is often not possible. We choose the gate and line to fit the rest of your day.
5. At the top
From the elevator’s top station it is about 1.1 km on foot to the eco-bus stop. From that stop, the eco-bus runs via Mihun Platform and First Bridge Under Heaven to the Wulong Village car park and He Long Park on Tianzi Mountain. After extreme weather, walkways at the top can close temporarily; we check on the day.
- Mihun Platform and First Bridge Under Heaven are part of the Yuanjiajie clifftop loop. For the whole park, see our Zhangjiajie National Forest Park guide.
6. Maintenance and closures
There is no fixed date for the annual maintenance. In 2026, one elevator at a time has stopped while the other two run, cutting capacity by about a third, as in the planned maintenance of 1–6 June 2026. The operator’s suggested alternatives: travel off-peak, take the Tianzi cable car or the Yangjiajie cable car, or walk up or down Luancuan Slope.
- Luancuan Slope is a steep stone-step trail between Golden Whip Stream and Yuanjiajie, for strong hikers. See hiking in Zhangjiajie.
- If maintenance falls on your dates, we may plan the day around the cable cars instead.
7. Older travellers, children and wheelchairs
The elevator has barrier-free access, but at the top there is still a walk of about 1.1 km to the eco-bus stop. Foreign visitors aged 65 and over enter the Forest Park free, but the elevator and the cable cars have no senior price for foreign visitors. For children, we confirm children’s tickets for your dates when we book.
- If the 1.1 km walk is too far for someone in your group, tell us when you plan, and we will build the day around it.
Want shorter queues at the elevator? Tell us your dates and who is coming, and we will choose the gate, the time slot and which way to ride.
Plan your elevator day with us
The elevator is one ride, but it shapes the whole day: which gate you book, which line, what time you enter and whether you go up or come down by it. Tell us your dates and who is coming with you, and we will plan the day with the gate, the time slot and the route written down.
See our Zhangjiajie tours, plan your trip with us, or send us your dates on WhatsApp.
FAQ
What are the Bailong Elevator opening hours?
It opens at 7:00 with the park, or 6:30 on public holidays. Closing time is set on the day by crowds: usually 18:00, or 17:00 in winter. On busy days, join the queue down early rather than near closing time.
Is the queue longer going up or coming down?
Normally the queue up is longer: visitors tend to ride up in the morning and down in the afternoon. At Spring Festival and in the summer holidays, even the queue down can reach nearly an hour. To queue less, enter at opening time, or go up by the Tianzi cable car and down by the elevator (East Gate Line A).
Which gate is nearest the Bailong Elevator?
The Middle Gate (Zimugang ticket station) is nearest the lower station. You can also enter at the East Gate (Wujiayu) and ride the eco-bus there. East Gate tickets are Line A or Line B, and Line B goes up by the elevator.
Do you need to book the Bailong Elevator?
Not the elevator itself: there is no separate time slot for it. You do need to book your park gate and time slot in advance, and that choice decides how easily you reach the elevator. A one-way ride costs CNY 65 and is not included in the park ticket.
How tall is the Bailong Elevator?
Guinness World Records lists it as the tallest outdoor elevator, 326 m, certified in 2015. The lower section, about 154 m, runs inside a shaft in the rock; the upper section, about 172 m, runs up an open steel frame on the cliff face, in glass-sided cabins.
How do you reach Yuanjiajie when the elevator is under maintenance?
There is no fixed maintenance date. In 2026, one elevator at a time has stopped while the other two run, cutting capacity by about a third. During the 1–6 June 2026 maintenance, the operator suggested travelling off-peak, taking the Tianzi cable car or the Yangjiajie cable car, or walking up or down Luancuan Slope.
Sources and data notes
Reviewed in September 2026. We compared the Guinness World Records entry, Hunan provincial and Zhangjiajie local news reports, the park administration’s eco-bus notices, the elevator operator’s maintenance notices, Wulingyuan district visitor notices, our own team’s experience in the park, and visitors’ trip reports from 2026. Published ride times and passenger numbers per car disagree, so we do not quote them. Opening times, queues and trail openings change; we check them again for your travel dates.
Ticket price: CNY 65 one way, from the Wulingyuan District tourism bureau ticket page, which lists no return ticket. Checked 4 October 2026.