Tongtian Avenue: The 99-Bend Road up Tianmen Mountain
Short answer: Tongtian Avenue is the 10.77 km (6.7 mile) road that climbs Tianmen Mountain in 99 hairpin bends, from about 200 m at the foot to the Tianmen Cave square at about 1,300 m, built between 1998 and 2005. From 13 October 2026 visitors see it rather than ride it: the park’s shuttle buses have stopped while the main cableway is out of service, and the Line C express cable car crosses directly above the road, so the whole of it is laid out under the cabin. You also see it from the Coiling Dragon Cliff glass walkway and from Yunmeng Peak. If Lines A and B return when the main cableway reopens, the buses would use the road again; the park has not given a date.
Facts checked 13 October 2026: route and prices against the operator’s notice of 29 September 2026 and our calls to the park; on-the-ground details from visitors’ reports to October 2026.
Key facts
| Item | Figure | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Length and bends | About 10.77 km (6.7 miles), 99 hairpin bends | Oct 2026 |
| Climb | From about 200 m above sea level at the foot of the mountain to about 1,300 m at the Tianmen Cave square | Oct 2026 |
| Built | Work began in 1998; opened in 2005 | Oct 2026 |
| Status from 13 October 2026 | Not used by visitors: the shuttle buses have stopped and the park runs Line C only | 29 Sep 2026, park notice |
| Where you see it | From the Tianmen Cave express cable car; from the Coiling Dragon Cliff glass walkway; from Yunmeng Peak | Oct 2026, visitors’ reports |
| Reopening | No date announced by the park; if Lines A and B return, the buses would use the road again | Oct 2026 |
The road from above
From the cabin of the express cable car you look down on a white line folded ninety-nine times across the mountainside, all the way up to the foot of Tianmen Cave. That is Tongtian Avenue, the road to heaven. Until this autumn many visitors rode it in a shuttle bus, round all ninety-nine bends; now you see it whole, from above.
How to see it
- From the express cable car. The car leaves the mountain gate and within minutes the whole road is laid out below; the densest cluster of hairpins is on the right-hand side going up, so take a window seat on that side.
- From the Coiling Dragon Cliff glass walkway. Stand on the glass and the road is directly beneath you. Our glass walkways page covers the summit paths.
- From Yunmeng Peak. The highest point of the mountain, reached by the open chairlift (CNY 25): Tianmen Cave and Tongtian Avenue in one photograph.
On a foggy day none of the three shows the road; a clear day, or the day after rain, shows all of it.
Can you still ride it?
From 13 October 2026, no: the shuttle buses have stopped while the main cableway is out of service, and everyone goes up by Line C, the express cable car from the mountain gate straight to the cave square. The road has not left the visit; where you see it from is above. If Lines A and B return when the main cableway reopens, the buses would use the road again; the park has not given a date, and the Checked column in the table above tells you when we last confirmed each point. The current status of every route is on our Tianmen Mountain cable car page; the whole mountain is in our Tianmen Mountain guide.
What Tongtian Avenue is: 10.77 km, 99 bends
Tongtian Avenue is 10.77 km long and turns through 99 hairpin bends on its way from the foot of the mountain, at about 200 m above sea level, to the Tianmen Cave square at about 1,300 m: a climb of 1,100 m. Work began in 1998 and took seven years; the road opened in 2005. The number is deliberate. Ninety-nine is the number of heaven in Taoist tradition, and it belongs to the same family as the 999 steps that climb from the top of the road to the arch.
The road has a reputation well beyond Zhangjiajie. In 2016 the Italian driver Fabio Barone took a Ferrari 458 up all 99 bends in under eleven minutes, a run that put the road on television across Europe; the car that went on up the 999 steps in 2018 is on our Tianmen Cave page. The bus ride was its own event: the drivers took the 99 bends several times a day at one unhurried pace, U-turn after U-turn, and our guests who rode it still call it the roller coaster.
How it was ridden before 13 October 2026
For anyone matching this page against older guides: on Line A you took the main cableway from the city to the middle station and changed to the shuttle bus, which took about 15 minutes up the 99 bends to the cave square; on Line B you rode the bus down instead. Guides that still describe riding the bus up the bends are describing the arrangement before 13 October 2026; we update this page whenever the arrangement changes.
Plan your visit with us
We live in Zhangjiajie and run Tianmen Mountain most weeks. Tell us your dates and who is coming on our plan my trip page, and we will plan the day on whichever lines are running when you travel, with the timings written down. Private tours only, with an English-speaking guide and a private driver.
Planning Tianmen Mountain in 2026? Tell us your date and who is coming, and we will plan the day on whichever lines are running when you travel.
Frequently asked questions
Can you still ride the 99-bend road up Tianmen Mountain?
From 13 October 2026, no. The shuttle buses have stopped and the park runs Line C only, by express cable car. If Lines A and B return when the main cableway reopens, the buses would use the road again; the park has not given a date.
Where do you see the 99 bends from?
From the express cable car on the way up, from the Coiling Dragon Cliff glass walkway on the summit, which stands directly above the road, and from Yunmeng Peak, which takes in the road and Tianmen Cave together.
How long is Tongtian Avenue and how many bends does it have?
About 10.77 km with 99 hairpin bends, climbing about 1,100 m from the foot of the mountain to the Tianmen Cave square.
Who has driven up the 99-bend road?
The Italian driver Fabio Barone took a Ferrari 458 up all 99 bends in under eleven minutes in 2016. Private cars are not allowed on it.
Does the cable car go over the road?
Yes. The Tianmen Cave express cable car from the mountain gate crosses directly above Tongtian Avenue, and from a window seat on the right-hand side going up you see the densest run of bends.
Can I see the road on a foggy day?
Not well. In fog neither the cable car nor the glass walkway shows the road; a clear day, or the day after rain, shows all of it.
Is the 99-bend road the same as the 999 steps?
No. The road climbs the mountain to the cave square; the 999 steps climb from the square to the arch. The numbers are related, both being multiples of nine, the number of heaven.
Can I drive the road myself?
No. Tongtian Avenue is inside the scenic area and is not open to private cars; apart from a few publicity drives, only the park’s buses have used it.
Sources and data notes
- Operating route from 13 October 2026 (main cableway stopped, Lines A and B withdrawn, Line C only): the Tianmen Mountain operator’s notice dated 29 September 2026.
- Length, number of bends, altitude range and construction dates: published local guides and encyclopaedia entries, checked October 2026; figures are rounded where sources differ slightly.
- The 2016 Ferrari ascent: as reported at the time.
- Views of the road from the express cable car, Coiling Dragon Cliff and Yunmeng Peak, and the bus ride before 13 October 2026: visitors’ trip reports from June to October 2026 and our own guides’ experience.
- Opening arrangements change; we check them again for your travel dates.
See also: Tianmen Mountain guide · Tianmen Mountain cable car status · Tianmen Cave and the 999 steps · Tianmen Mountain glass walkways · Tianmen Mountain map · how long Tianmen Mountain takes · 3-day Zhangjiajie private tour.