Route change from 13 October 2026
From 13 October 2026, the Tianmen Mountain main cableway is suspended and Line A and Line B tickets are no longer sold. Only Line C runs: from the Mountain Gate, ride the Tianmen Cave express cableway up, take the escalators inside the mountain to the summit, and come back down the same way. Line C does not use the 99-bend road. Ticket prices are unchanged, and the visit still takes about 4–6 hours. If you are staying in the city, a free shuttle bus runs from the city cableway lower station to the Mountain Gate in about 20 minutes. The park has not announced a reopening date. We plan your route around what is open on your travel date.
Tianmen Mountain Lines A, B and C, explained
Tianmen Mountain tickets come in three lines, A, B and C. All three go up by cableway and all three reach the summit by the escalators inside the mountain; the difference is where you start and how you come down. Line A starts at the city cableway station, rides the cableway to the middle station, takes the park bus up the 99-bend road, and after the summit comes down by the Tianmen Cave express cableway to the Mountain Gate. Line B is the reverse: up by the express cableway from the Mountain Gate, down by the 99-bend bus and the cableway to the city. Line C uses the express cableway both ways from the Mountain Gate and never touches the mountain road. The upper cableway section (middle station to summit) has been closed for an upgrade since November 2025 and was still closed in September 2026. The English map below shows all of it.
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1. How each line works
Line A (starts at the city cableway station)
- Up: ticket check at the Tianmen Mountain cableway lower station in the city → cableway to the middle station → park bus up the 99-bend road to the square below Tianmen Cave → the 999 steps, or the five-flight escalator (separate ticket), up to the cave → the seven-flight escalators inside the mountain, behind the cave, to the summit.
- Down: from the summit back to the square below the cave, a few minutes’ walk to the express cableway upper station → the Tianmen Cave express cableway down to its lower station beside the Mountain Gate → shuttle bus back to the city cableway station.
Line B (starts at the Mountain Gate)
- Up: ticket check at the Mountain Gate → express cableway up to the cave → escalators to the summit.
- Down: park bus down the 99-bend road to the cableway middle station → cableway down to the city.
Line C (starts at the Mountain Gate, cableway both ways)
- Up: as Line B.
- Down: express cableway back to the Mountain Gate. Line C never touches the mountain road, so it is the one to choose if you get carsick, and it is also the line the park switches everyone to when ice, snow, dense fog or heavy rain make the road unsafe.
All three lines end on the city side, at the Mountain Gate or the city cableway station, so there is no extra drive out of the mountains afterwards.
2. Why the routes look like this: the upper cableway is closed
The Tianmen Mountain cableway has two sections. The lower section, from the city to the middle station, runs as normal. The upper section, from the middle station to the summit, closed for an upgrade on 6 November 2025 and was still closed in September 2026. While it is closed, the 99-bend bus and the escalators inside the mountain do its job; the map draws the closed section as a grey dashed line. The park has not announced a reopening date; we confirm the status before you travel.
3. Tickets and changing your line
- One ticket is one line and one time slot. The ticket check is in different places: Line A at the city cableway station, Lines B and C at the Mountain Gate.
- Booked the wrong line? Change it online in advance. At the gate there is often no availability left to switch.
- Fast-track passes are suspended, with no date for their return. An early start is the reliable way to shorten the queue. Ticket rules in detail are on our Zhangjiajie ticket rules page.
4. Weather
- Ordinary rain, mist and wind do not stop the cableways or the glass skywalks; they stay open unless the park issues a specific notice.
- When ice, snow, dense fog or heavy rain make the road unsafe, the park temporarily moves everyone onto Line C. We re-plan your start time around the route actually in operation that day.
5. How long it takes
Allow about 4–6 hours for Line A, from the city cableway queue back to the city, including the escalator section that replaces the closed upper cableway. If you need to catch a train or an evening flight the same day, our Tianmen Mountain timing page shows how to count back from your departure.
6. On the summit: East Line and West Line
The escalators come out at the summit hub. Two walking loops start there and both meet at Tianmen Temple: the East Line passes the East Line glass skywalk and the south and north viewpoints over Tianmen Cave; the West Line passes the Ghost Valley plank road, the West Line glass skywalk and the Coiling Dragon Cliff glass walkway. Either works; choose by the time and energy you have. Which loop to walk and what to see on the summit are in our Tianmen Mountain guide.
Not on this map
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (the Avatar mountains) and the Grand Canyon Glass Bridge are separate scenic areas with their own tickets. See our Zhangjiajie National Forest Park English map and Glass Bridge guide.
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Want us to set your line, time slot and start time around your train or flight? Contact us or see our private Zhangjiajie tours.
FAQ
What is the difference between Lines A, B and C at Tianmen Mountain?
All three go up by cableway and reach the summit by the escalators inside the mountain; the difference is where you start and how you come down. Line A starts at the city cableway station and comes down by the express cableway to the Mountain Gate. Line B starts at the Mountain Gate and comes down by the 99-bend bus and the cableway to the city. Line C starts at the Mountain Gate and uses the express cableway both ways, never touching the mountain road.
Is the Tianmen Mountain cableway running?
The lower section from the city to the middle station runs as normal. The upper section from the middle station to the summit has been closed for an upgrade since 6 November 2025 and was still closed in September 2026; the 99-bend bus and the escalators inside the mountain take you to the summit instead. No reopening date has been announced.
I booked the wrong line. What can I do?
Change it online in advance. Each ticket is sold for one line and one time slot; the ticket check is at the city cableway station for Line A and at the Mountain Gate for Lines B and C. At the gate there is often no availability left to switch. Fast-track passes are currently suspended.