Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park
Tianmen Mountain is a famous mountain located within Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain National Park. It is the first mountain recorded in the history of Zhangjiajie, only 8 kilometers away from the urban district. The highest peak is around 1518.6 meters above sea level.
Due to the natural huge cave half way up the mountain like a gate of heaven, the mountain is named Heavenly Gate Mountain (Heaven's Gate Mountain) - Tianmen Mountain.
Tianmen Mountain Facts
Chinese name: 天门山,云梦山,嵩梁山
Location: 8km south of Yongding District, Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China
Elevation: 1518.6 m
Area: 96 square kilometers
Ticket price: RMB258 (Including cable car and shuttle bus)
Opening hours: 07:00 -16:00
China Tianmen Mountain is famous for its stunning views such as sheer cliffs and steep mountains, Tianmen Mountain Cave, thrilling cliff-hanging walkway and glass skywalk. Besides, a 7.2-km long cable car was constructed in the park, which is said to be the longest of the same type in the world.
Moreover, Tianmen Mountain is boasting abundant up to 90% vegetation. On the mountain there is a wealth of rare species of plant. Old trees grow very high to the sky. It can be said to be a natural oxygen bar.
With profound cultural background, Tianmen Mountain is always considered as the holy mountain by locals. A 500-year-old Buddhist temple is nestled in the mountain attracting thousands of prayers every year. If you are interested, you can also listen to our local guide tell the legends and stories about the mountain, which were inherited from generation to generation in the west of Hunan Province.
What to See & Do in Tianmen Mountain National Park
Popular activities: hiking, cable car riding, glasswalk, skywalk, suspension bridge, photography, incredible scenery appreciation and so on.
Tianmen Mountain Temple
Tianmen Mountain Temple is the main attraction of the scenic spot of the Buddhist kingdom of Heaven. Built in the Tang Dynasty, the temple is the Buddhist center of western Hunan Province. Tianmen Mountain Temple was rebuilt on the original site, covering an area of nearly 20,000 square meters and offering an amazing view.
The temple enshrines the true body sarira of Buddha Sakyamuni and his two great disciples, Mukhara and Sari Buddha. Tianmen Mountain is one of the five temples in the world where Buddha sari is worshipped.
Glass Skywalk
The thrilling glass skywalk is stretching around a cliff on Tianmen Mountain. It is 1430m/4700 feet off the ground, and only 1.6m/4-5 feet wide, 2 1/2 inches thick. Look down and you can see right through the crystal clear skywalk, and feel like walking in the sky. Although it is 60 meters long, maybe you can’t help screaming when step your foot on it. The glass walk is definitely not only a new way to appreciate the stunning mountainous landscapes, but also a challenge to you.
The World's Longest Cable Car Ride
Tianmen Mountain cableway, one of the longest alpine cable way in the world, connects zhangjiajie city to the top of Tianmen Mountain. The total length of the cableway is 7455 meters (24459 feet), and the level difference is 1279 meters (4196 feet). It is the world's first aerial mobile viewing gallery. It takes nearly 35 minutes for each way.
It is a good choice to reach Tianmen mountain top by cable car. Viewing the lush peaks, sheer cliffs, deep valleys, Tianemen hole, and winding road and mountain walkway from the cable car is fantastic.
Tianmen Cave
It is said that in the year of 263 during The Three Kingdoms period, the mountain suddenly opened into a cliff, which was as dark as a door, forming a rare wonder of the world - Heaven's Gate or Tianmen Cave.
Tianmen mountain cave is a unique natural miracle. The name means “a door to the heaven” in Chinese. The door-alike cave is 131.5 meters high, 50 meters wide, which is the highest natural karst cave in the world.
There are 999 steep and narrow steps up to the cave – If you want to climb into the sky, you have to go through 999 steps. 999 symbolizes supremacy and eternity. It is hard and tiresome to climb, but still many people are excited to experience this unique and sacred stairway.
Tianmen Mountain Tunnel Elevator
On April 25, 2015, Tianmen Mountain tunnel elevator, the world's first elevator installed in a mountain tunnel was officially put into operation.The elevator runs in the tunnel, all the day from the bottom to the top of Tianmen Cave, with a total of 12 segments. The escalator cascade is 897 meters long and the hoisting height is 340 meters. The one-way transport capacity is 3,600 people / hour.
99-bend Road (Heaven-linking Road)
Tianmen Cave, with its tendency of reaching the sky to earth, has become the gateway to reach the heaven. Therefore, the winding mountain road leading to Tianmen Cave is called "Tongtian Avenue (Heaven-linking Road)". When the road was completed, people were surprised to find that Road, built along the mountain, had just 99 bends, which suggested "the sky is nine in all, and the clouds are nine in all". Tongtian avenue winds upwards the foot of Tianmen Cave, with a total length of 10.77 kilometers and rising sharply from 200 meters to 1300 meters above sea level. Cliffs rises on on both sides of the road, 180-degree bend disappears here and there - making it "a highway wonder in the world".
For bikers and adventure lovers, the 99-bend Road is ideal for cycling, with a rising of elevation and the exciting zig-zag biking roads!
Ghost Path
It is named for building a hanging walkway along the upper side of a cliff above Ghost-Valley Cave. The Ghost Path is 1600 meters long, and the average altitude is 1400 meters. So, it will give a scary feeling when cross it, especially who scared of heights. Not far from the end of the walkway, a five-metre-long glass platform juts out of the sky, suspending over a deep abyss.
Tianmen Mountain Suspension Bridge
Tianmen Mountain Suspension Bridge spans the valley of 1,500 meters above sea level near the Ghost Plank Road on the western line of the mountain. It is 150 meters in length, 2.5 meters in width, and over 100 tons in deadweight. With a total investment of 1.6 million yuan, it is the first large suspension bridge in Hunan Province.
When to Visit Tianmen Mountain National Park
Tianmen Mountain features a subtropical mountain prototype monsoon humid climate. You can visit here in all seasons. But the best travel time for Tianmen Mountain National Park is summer and Autumn from April to October, when Tianmen Mountain is the most beautiful and suitable for sightseeing.
Winter (December to next February) is also a good time to visit Tianmen Mountain. Visitors can expect less tourists and buy cheaper ticket price. Besides that, Tianmen Mountain in winter is like a frozen fairy tale world, which is incredibly beautiful and tranquil.
How to Get to Tianmen Mountain
You can get to Tianmen Mountain by bus in the Zhangjiaje city.
From Zhangjiajie railway station (5 minutes): take taxi or bus No.5, or No.6 (price: ￥1 yuan),
From airport: take taxi (price: around ￥30 yuan) or bus No.6, No.5, or No.4
From zhangjiajie national forest park: take taxi
Tianmen Mountain National Park
With the opening of the tunnel elevator, tianmen Mountain scenic area also opened two new tour routes.
Line A: tourists take the cable car to the top of the mountain, then take the elevator to Tianmen Cave, and return to the downtown with shuttle bus.
Tianmen Mountain National Park Travel Tips
1.It requires a lot of walking, so please wear suitable shoes.
2.The Glass Skywalk and Ghost Path are not suitable for the people with heart problem.
3.There usually a long wait for the popular highlights. So the best you can arrive there early (half an hour or more before it officially opens)
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