Zhangjiajie National Forest Park: Avatar Mountain Guide

By Tian, Founder · China Fantasy Travel (local team) · Updated October 2026

The pillar forest of Wulingyuan

Short answer: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is the “Avatar mountains” park inside the UNESCO-listed Wulingyuan area, with 3,000+ quartz-sandstone pillars (many over 200 metres tall). The main ticket is valid for 4 consecutive days, and you should allow at least 2 full days – 3 for a relaxed pace with time for photography.

Best for: travellers wanting the iconic floating-peak scenery over a multi-day visit, with eco shuttle buses, cable cars & the 326-metre Bailong Elevator covering nearly every viewpoint. Think twice if: you only have one day (if that is your case, our fixed-price 1-day and 2-day private tours are built for it) – that rushes the very viewpoints you came for. Note: since June 2025 each entry must be reserved in advance, and this park is NOT the same as Tianmen Mountain (about 40 kilometres away, separate ticket).

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is the park that inspired the floating mountains in Avatar. It is the core of the Wulingyuan Scenic Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with more than 3,000 quartz-sandstone pillars. This guide covers the layout of the park, how to get around, and how much time to allow.

What makes the park special

Zhangjiajie became China’s first national forest park in 1982. More than 3,000 quartz-sandstone pillars stand here, many over 200 metres tall. These are the real “Avatar mountains”. They only look as if they float when low cloud and mist hide their bases. The best chance of seeing that is on a morning after rain.

The wider Wulingyuan area became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992. It is large, and most visitors underestimate it: allow two or three days, not an afternoon.

The key sub-areas to know

The park is made up of several connected scenic zones, all sharing one ticket. These are the highlights our travellers ask about most:

Yuanjiajie and the Avatar Hallelujah Mountain — the best-known area. The pillar formerly known as the Southern Sky Column (around 1,080 metres) was officially renamed “Avatar Hallelujah Mountain” in January 2010 after the film. The viewing platforms here give the views you have seen in photos. How to get up and what to see, viewpoint by viewpoint: our Yuanjiajie guide.
Tianzi Mountain — a high plateau known for its “sea of peaks,” reached by its own cable car or by shuttle bus. From the top you look down over the pillars. More on our Tianzi Mountain page.
Golden Whip Stream — a gentle, mostly flat valley walk of about 7.5 kilometres that follows a clear stream between sheer pillars. It takes most people two to three hours and is the easiest of the park’s longer walks. Distances for this and the other open trails are in our Zhangjiajie hiking guide.
The Bailong Elevator — a glass lift built into a cliff face, recognised by Guinness World Records in 2015 as the world’s tallest outdoor elevator at 326 metres. It is the quickest way up to the Yuanjiajie level.

Tianzi Mountain: the plateau above the sea of peaks

Tianzi Mountain is the park’s high plateau, looking down on the same quartz-sandstone pillars you meet at Yuanjiajie — locals call the view a “sea of peaks.” You can reach the plateau by the Tianzi Mountain cable car or by shuttle bus from Yuanjiajie, and the eco shuttle buses (covered by the combined entrance-and-bus ticket) link its viewpoints with the rest of the park. Your entry ticket stays valid across consecutive days, so a second, quieter morning up here is easy to fit in. For current cableway prices and combo options, see our Zhangjiajie tickets & costs guide.

Tickets and how long they last

The main park ticket is valid for four consecutive days, so you can come and go through different gates while you explore. Since June 2025, the park requires each entry to be reserved in advance, so do not count on turning up and getting in the same day. Cable cars and the Bailong Elevator are paid separately, per ride.

Which gate to use

The park has five gates, and tickets are sold by gate and by time slot, so you pick both at the time of booking.

Staying in Wulingyuan town: the East Gate.
Staying in the city, or walking Golden Whip Stream or Huangshizhai: the South Gate.
Going to Yangjiajie: the West Gate.

If you pick the wrong gate, change it online beforehand. At the gate it often cannot be changed. More on our page about which gate to use.

Getting around the park

Distances inside the park are big, so walking everywhere is not realistic. Our free English park map shows how the areas connect. Three systems move visitors around:

Eco shuttle buses — these green buses link the scenic areas and run frequently through the day. The bus pass is CNY 72 per person for unlimited rides over four consecutive days, and it comes bundled in the combined entrance-and-bus ticket. Details: Zhangjiajie Forest Park shuttle bus.
Cable cars — Tianzi Mountain and other zones have cableways that save a steep climb and add spectacular aerial views. They keep running in rain, fog and wind unless the park issues a special notice; see Zhangjiajie in winter for what changes from December to February.
The Bailong Elevator — the fastest connection between the valley floor and the clifftop viewpoints at Yuanjiajie. Hours, queues and which way to ride: Bailong Elevator guide.

You can combine them. Strong walkers can climb up and take a cable car down to save their knees. Anyone short of time, or who finds walking hard, can reach most of the main viewpoints by lift and bus with very little climbing.

One day: Yuanjiajie and Tianzi Mountain

If one day is all you have, you can still see both Yuanjiajie and Tianzi Mountain. The rest of the park is why we suggest two days or more.

The usual way: enter at the East Gate, go up the Bailong Elevator, walk Yuanjiajie, add Yangjiajie if time allows, take the shuttle bus to Tianzi Mountain, ride the Tianzi cable car down, and take the shuttle bus out.
The reverse also works: up by the Tianzi cable car, down by the Bailong Elevator. It is the better order on days when the queue to go up the Bailong Elevator is long. At the East Gate the first route is sold as Line B and the reverse as Line A, and you pick one when you book.
Golden Whip Stream takes 2 to 3 hours end to end and does not fit into this day. If you want some of it, take the reverse route and walk a stretch from Shuiraosimen, the far end of the stream, after you come down the Bailong Elevator.
With a second day: enter at the South Gate, walk Golden Whip Stream, then go up Huangshizhai or Yaozizhai.

More on each: Tianzi Mountain and the Bailong Elevator. With only one day in Zhangjiajie, see Tianmen Mountain or the Forest Park.

Can you walk Golden Whip Stream on your own?

Yes. From Oxygen Bar Square at the South Gate to Shuiraosimen it is about 7.5 km one way and takes 2 to 3 hours, on a flat path beside the stream. Almost everyone can do it, children included. There are monkeys along the way, so keep food in your bag and do not feed them. If the full length is too much, go in from either end, walk as far as you like and come back the same way. Trails can close for repairs or bad weather, so we confirm before your trip. Distances for the other trails are in our Zhangjiajie hiking guide.

How much time to allow

Allow at least two full days, and three if you want an easy pace and time for photos. With one day you see the main viewpoints, but in a hurry. Our 5-day Zhangjiajie private tour gives the park two days, alongside Tianmen Mountain. For day-by-day routes, see our best Zhangjiajie itinerary.

Visiting with a guide

Private cars are not allowed into the core park. Inside, everyone moves by shuttle bus, cable car, lift and on foot, so there is no such thing as a car tour of the park. What a guide and a local team add is mostly timing: the right gate and time slot, an order for the day that works around the busiest times at the Bailong Elevator and the cable cars, and the last-ride times checked on the day. Our 3-day tour gives the park one full day and our 5-day tour gives it two. Whether you need a guide at all is covered in do you need a guide for Zhangjiajie.

Not the same as Tianmen Mountain

People mix these two up more than anything else: Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and Tianmen Mountain are two different places. The forest park is the remote pillar landscape that inspired Avatar. Tianmen Mountain sits right beside the city — its cable car, one of the world’s longest, rises from the city centre to the mountain’s mid-station, from where a scenic shuttle and in-mountain escalators complete the climb — and is known for its glass walkways and the natural arch of Tianmen Cave. The two are about 40 kilometres apart, so many visitors do both on the same trip, with separate tickets and a transfer between them. More in our Tianmen Mountain guide.

Plan your trip with us

We live in Zhangjiajie. Our guides know which viewpoint gets the light first and when the queue for the Bailong Elevator builds in the late afternoon. Every trip is private, with an English-speaking guide and a private driver. Tell us your dates on our plan my trip page or reach out via our contact page, and you will have a personalised quote within two hours. You can also message us on WhatsApp at +86 189 7441 2915.

Want this planned for you? We are a local Zhangjiajie team running 100% private, English-guided China tours – no shopping stops, a personalised PDF itinerary within 2 hours. 5-day private Zhangjiajie tour

Sources

Related guides

Frequently Asked Questions

How many days do you need at Zhangjiajie National Forest Park?

Allow at least two full days, and three if you want an easy pace with time for photos. With one day you see the main viewpoints, but in a hurry. The main park ticket is valid for four consecutive days, so you can come and go through different gates while you explore.

Is Zhangjiajie National Forest Park the same as Tianmen Mountain?

No. They are two completely different places. The forest park is the remote pillar landscape that inspired Avatar, while Tianmen Mountain sits right beside the city and is known for its glass walkways and the natural arch of Tianmen Cave. The two are about 40 kilometres apart and require separate tickets and a transfer, so many visitors enjoy both on the same trip.

How do you get around inside the park?

Three systems move visitors around. Eco shuttle buses link the scenic areas frequently through the day; the bus pass (CNY 72 per person, unlimited rides for four consecutive days) comes bundled in the combined entrance-and-bus ticket. Cable cars save steep climbs in zones such as Tianzi Mountain, and the Bailong Elevator – a glass lift recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s tallest outdoor elevator at 326 metres – is the fastest connection between the valley floor and the Yuanjiajie clifftop viewpoints.

Do you need to book park entry in advance?

Yes. Since June 2025 the park requires each entry to be reserved in advance, so spontaneous same-day visits are no longer reliable. Cable cars and the Bailong Elevator are paid separately, per ride.