Infinite Mileage

Welcome to Part 2 of Ultimate 2025 Zhangjiajie Guide! This article will focus primarily on the Tianmenshan / Tianmen Mountain scenic area. For more comprehensive information on the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and the wider Zhangjiajie area, do take some time and read The Ultimate 2025 Zhangjiajie Guide (Part 1 – Zhangjiajie National Forest Park)

Contents

An Overview of Tianmenshan/Tianmen Mountain

How to get there

This annotated map of the Zhangjiajie region was discussed in detail in Part 1 of the guide.

To Zhangjiajie City

To recap quickly, Tianmenshan (天门山) (4) is accessible via a 10-15 mins drive from Zhangjiajie City (张家界市) (1), which is where Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport and main railway stations are situated.

If you’re coming from Wulingyuan District (武陵源区) (2) after spending a couple of days exploring the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park (张家界国家森林公园), it will take a 30-40 mins drive to reach Zhangjiajie City.

To Tianmenshan

From your hotel in Zhangjiajie City, it will be a short DiDi ride to the starting point of your Tianmenshan itinerary. Why I say “starting point” here instead of an exact landmark is because your first stop of the day will vary depending on which of the several fixed routes you purchased tickets for. Most of the routes will take you through the same major attractions, so it’s just a matter of order (the biggest difference being whether you ascend or descend the 999 steps of Stairways to Heaven). I will share more details on this topic in a later section.

Where to stay

Zhangjiajie City

To visit Tianmenshan, the most convenient place to stay will be in Zhangjiajie City itself. Although small by conventional standards, Zhangjiajie City is significantly larger than Wulingyuan District, so you would be mostly be relying on DiDi (very short rides, given that the central portion of the city borders on walkability) to get around.

I recommend staying in Guanliping Residential District (官黎坪), which is almost right beside the airport and the closest to the various Tianmenshan entrances. In fact, many of the hotels in this area are within walking distance of the Tianmenshan Cableway (which depending on the route you choose, will either be your starting point or end point). The area also offers an abundance of dining and shopping options.

I stayed in the Wyndham Garden Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain, an incredibly modern and comfortable 5-star hotel in the middle of Guanliping. I paid SGD 90 for one night in a twin room, and would stay there again in a heartbeat.

Layout of Tianmenshan Scenic Area

Map of key areas

This very useful map from Travel China Guide provides an excellent overview of the most important attractions and features of the Tianmenshan Scenic Area. I will use this map to explain the 3 different available routes (which you will choose at the point of purchasing your ticket).

Overview of main attractions and features

• Tianmen Cave (a.k.a Heaven’s Gate) (天门洞) – The main attraction of Tianmenshan, a massive natural arch at the top of a legendary flight of stairs
• 999 Heavenly Staircases (a.k.a. Stairway to Heaven) (上天梯) – Stairs consisting of 999 steeps, bringing you straight to Tianmen Cave
• Transmountain Escalator (穿山扶梯) – A series of seven escalators built into the mountain, which will bring you from Tianmen Cave to Tianmenshan Summit
• Tianmenshan Summit (天门山山顶) – A large plateau with many areas of interests, viewpoints, and exciting activities
• “Fast” Cableway (天门洞快线索道) – 10 mins cableway ride bringing you to Tianmen Cave (The start point of Route B)
• “Grand” Cableway (天门山索道) – 30 mins cableway ride, one of the longest in the world, bringing you from Tianmenshan Summit directly back to Zhangjiajie City center (The start point of Route A)

Various ticket combinations/visiting routes

There are 3 main routes (A,B,C) available for your Tianmenshan visit. Unlike in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, you need to choose these fixed routes when you purchase your entrance tickets, and follow the (rather circular) route accordingly during your actual visit. I will not cover Route C in detail as it is an inferior option to Routes A and B.

Routes A and B take you through the exact same attractions, covering everything in the map above. The only difference is that they run in inverse directions, and hence for Route B you will be ascending the 999 steps of the Stairway to Heaven. 999 steps may sound daunting but compared to the thousands of steps you’ll take at the Great Wall of China or on any other self-respecting hikes, it’s really quite manageable. Route B also offers the advantage of needing to jostle with less crowds, as you will be travelling in the opposite direction of the more popular Route A (tsk, those lazy stairs descenders).

Fortune favours the bold. For this itinerary, we will assume that you chose Route B. (However, if you ultimately choose Route A, just read the itinerary from bottom to top)

Route A

Grand Cableway (in Zhangjiajie City Center) –> Tianmenshan Summit –> Transmountain Escalator –> Tianmen Cave –> Descend the 999 Heavenly Staircases (or pay extra to take the Tianmen Cave Escalator) –> Plank Path –> Fast Cableway

Route B

Fast Cableway –> Plank Path –> Tianmen Cave Square –> Ascend the 999 Heavenly Staircases (or pay extra to take the Tianmen Cave Escalator) –> Tianmen Cave –> Transmountain Escalator –> Summit –> Grand Cableway (in Zhangjiajie City Center)

The Ultimate One-Day Tianmenshan Itinerary

Day 1: Tianmenshan “Route B”

Please remember that there are TWO cableway routes in Tianmenshan – the Fast Cableway and the Grand Cableway, both of which are in entirely different locations. For Route B, you will start at the Fast Cableway, which is located about 10 mins drive away from Zhangjiajie City, and will take you up to Tianmen Cave. At the end of the day, you will descend from Tianmenshan Summit via the Grand Cableway, which will take you directly back to the city center. (Route A runs in the opposite direction)

Fast Cableway @ Tianmenshan Entrance

To start off the day, take a Didi to the Fast Cableway station, where you will be greeted with a giant boulder with the Chinese characters of Tianmenshan etched in golden lettering, marking the entrance to the Tianmenshan scenic area. Walk through the spacious main square as you catch a glimpse of the giant hole in the mountain far above. You’ll also see the entire length of the impressive Fast Cableway which will bring you halfway to the summit in less than 10 minutes.

Continue following the signs to the Fast Cableway (天门洞快线索道). You’ll pass by several flights of stairs and hallways (exquisitely designed, but probably functions as a buffer for the massive queues during China’s public holidays) where on your right, you’ll see the theatre set for the “Legend of the Fox Fairy” (天门狐仙) show, which runs every night for 1h 40min. I’ve heard great reviews of how immersive it is, so do consider heading back here at 8pm to check it out. You can purchase tickets here at Trip.com

Take the Fast Cableway up to the Upper Station, which will open up to an observation deck with panoramic views of Zhangjiajie City.

Plank Path

Innocuous-sounding as it may be, Plank Path takes you to the Tianmen Cave via a… plank path, running alongside the edge of the mountain. The short walk offers different perspectives of three extraordinary views – a panoramic view of the city, a glimpse of Tianmen Cave, and the mesmerizing Heaven-Linking Avenue, or 99 Bends.

Heaven-Linking Avenue has also hosted many intriguing (daredevil) events. As a motorsport enthusiast, I can only imagine how it must have felt when Fabio Barone raced up this 11km road in his Ferrari. It’s also an access route for more extreme sports like wingsuit competitions – while I was there in Sep 2025, Tianmenshan hosted the 11th World Wingsuit League (WWL) Wingsuit Flying World Championship.

Tianmen Cave (Heaven’s Gate) / Stairway to Heaven

The end of Plank Path leads us to Tianmenshan’s main attraction – Tianmen Cave (天门洞), a.k.a. Heaven’s Gate. This colossal natural arch measures 131.5 metres in height and 57 metres in width. Standing at 1,300 metres above sea level, you can see this gaping hole in the mountain from as far as the airport (and beyond). Before you ascend the 999 steps of the Stairway to Heaven, take a breather around the Tianmen Cave Square, where there are plenty of shops and exhibits. There are infinite ways to take pictures of, or with, this magnificent natural wonder.

When you’re ready, make your ascent! Fun fact – in line with the daredevil spirit of Tianmenshan, the Stairway to Heaven has also hosted its fair share of adrenaline-filled events, like the 2025 Red Bull Sky Gate Mountain Bike Race. In fact, throughout the rest of the day you’ll see many posters proudly showcasing the various other activities held here (e.g. aerial stunts, tightrope walking). These contemporary elements inject a very unique energy into a place which is already incredibly stunning to begin with.

Alternatively, you could pay a small fee and take the Tianmen Cave Escalator up to the bottom of the arch, bypassing these stairs completely. If you are physically able to make this ascent, I wouldn’t recommend taking the escalator as you would miss a very quintessential Tianmenshan experience, as well as breathtaking (literally) views along the way.

Once you reach the top, you’ll see Tianmen Cave in its raw, natural awe-inspiring beauty.

At this point, you’re only halfway through your Tianmenshan adventure.

Transmountain Escalator

As you walk through Tianmen Cave, you’ll emerge on the other side of the mountain, which immediately radiates quiet tranquility. Instead of a sprawling city, you’ll see a collection of smaller villages in the distance. Instead of winding roads which have staged some of the world’s most exciting events, you’ll see rudimentary gravel roads partially obscured by the lush greenery. The path to the Transmountain Escalator is carved into the edge of a sharp precipice, perfectly integrated into the majestic mountain face.

The Transmountain Escalator itself is an engineering marvel – seven sections running directly through the mountain, bringing you directly to Tianmenshan Summit.

Tianmenshan Summit

As seen in the map below from Travel China Guide, Tianmenshan Summit is a sprawling plateau of magnificent views and exciting activities, split into two routes – West, and East.

This is where you’ll spend the second half of the day. Thoroughly exploring both routes would take up the entire afternoon and if you find yourself with limited time, it is recommended that you take the West Route – which includes the Tianmen Mountain Temple, the famous Glass Skywalk, and the Suspension Bridge.

From the Tianmen Mountain Temple, take the Forest Sightseeing Cable Car (or follow the signs to walk to the Grand Cableway Upper Station) and make your way back to the Grand Cableway Upper Station, where you will take a therapeutic 30-min cableway ride down to the city center.

Grand Cableway

After you’re done exploring the Tianmenshan Summit, head towards the Grand Cableway Upper Station and take the cableway down. This ride will take you 30 mins, across a distance of 7.5km, taking you from Tianmenshan Summit directly back to Zhangjiajie City center from an altitude of 1.3km. This used to be the longest cable car in the world, but I understand that it’s since been overtaken by the cable car in Phu Quoc, Vietnam.

I took this ride at the end of the day, after the sun had set. I remembering it being a surreal experience, as we sat in quiet darkness after an entire day of activities and sights. Occasionally, we would see clusters of buildings in what seemed like remote villages, but with light mysteriously coming out from only very few windows. I never found out what those buildings were. The cableway route traced the contours of the mountains – so we would descend steeply, before starting another sharp ascent to clear another mountain peak. Gradually, the city lights illuminated the carriage and before long, we were once again nestled in the familiar comfort of the city.

And with that, your eventful day at Tianmenshan comes to an end…

Purchasing Entrance Tickets

Now that you know how a visit to Tianmenshan looks like, let’s talk about how to actually purchase the tickets.

Route Recap

Route A (The inverse of the suggested itinerary above)

Grand Cableway (in Zhangjiajie City Center) –> Tianmenshan Summit –> Transmountain Escalator –> Tianmen Cave –> Descend the 999 Heavenly Staircases (or pay extra to take the Tianmen Cave Escalator) –> Plank Path –> Fast Cableway

Route B (The suggested itinerary above)

Fast Cableway –> Plank Path –> Tianmen Cave Square –> Ascend the 999 Heavenly Staircases (or pay extra to take the Tianmen Cave Escalator) –> Tianmen Cave –> Transmountain Escalator –> Summit –> Grand Cableway (in Zhangjiajie City Center)

How to purchase the tickets

Just like in Part 1 of the guide, I will share the three main methods of purchasing your entrance ticket.

WeChat Mini-Program (advisable only for people who can read Chinese and purchased a SIM card with a local +86 phone number)

Search for “Tianmenshan” in the WeChat mini-program (小程序) menu, and you will find the Tianmenshan (天门山) app.

1. Click on “Purchase Tickets” (购票)

2. You will be redirected to another app, where you should click on “Ticket Reservation” (景区门票预定)

3. Choose the Line B (Adult) ticket option

4. Ensure that you input your passport details accurately

Note that you will not be able to enter earlier than your time slot, but you can enter anytime during/after.

Now, if you cannot read Chinese or for some reason, are unable (or unwilling) to book tickets through the mini-program e.g. if the app doesn’t allow you to complete the transaction without a valid local Chinese phone number, I recommend booking your tickets via a third-party ticket agency like Klook or Trip.com.

Klook

Booking your tickets through Klook will be easy – it’s fully available in English, you can easily access/amend your tickets via the Klook platform itself, and you benefit from an Klook’s established infrastructure and customer support.

The same ticket combinations are available on Klook, at this link – Tianmenshan / Tianmen Mountain Tickets (Klook). All are priced at 49.5 SGD as of Oct 2025.

Assuming you are choosing Line B as per the itinerary, follow the steps below:

1. Choose the Tianmen Mountain Ticket + Cableway + Plank Road option (there is only one option here)
2. Choose your date (you can reserve your timeslot at a later step. Note that you cannot enter early, but you can enter anytime during/after your reserved timeslot)
3. Choose the Line B option
4. Input your passport details accurately (remember, your physical passport will be your park tickets)

Trip.com

Similar to Klook, the same ticket combinations are available on Trip.com, at this link – Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park (Trip.com), at almost identical prices.

As usual, Trip.com also offers many other combinations, most of which you can ignore if you’re going for the Line B package (Tianmen Cave Express Line->Tianmen Mountain Cableway) (Adult) option

Assuming you are choosing Line B as per the itinerary, follow the steps below:

1. Choose the Line B package (Tianmen Cave Express Line->Tianmen Mountain Cableway) (Adult)
2. Choose your date and entry timeslot (Note: you cannot enter early, but you can enter anytime during/after your reserved timeslot)
3. Input your passport details accurately (remember, your physical passport will be your park tickets)

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