Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park (Tianmenshan Mountain)
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 is a must-see for a Zhangjiajie city tour.
Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain Facts
China Tianmenshan 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, as one of the best national parks in China, 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.
Tianmen Mountain History
Tianmenshan Mountain was originally called Songliang Mountain. Because the appearance of the mountain resembles a copper pot, it is also called Hutou Mountain. Also because the mountain rises from the ground, like a screen on the south bank of the river, it is also called Yuping Mountain.
As early as The Three Kingdoms period, Zhangjiajie had not yet been established as a county. There was only one fortified city, named Dayongwei, which was under the jurisdiction of Cili County, Wuling Commandery and belonged to the territory of the State of Wu. Songliang Mountain is a famous scenic spot in the State of Wu. In the sixth year of Yong 'an in the Wu Dynasty of The Three Kingdoms period (263 AD), the sheer cliff of Songliang Mountain, which was tens of thousands of feet high, suddenly collapsed, revealing a "heaven's gate".
Someone reported the news to King Sun Xiu of Wu, who thought it was a good omen. He ordered to cut out half of Wuling County and set up Tianmen County in Dayong. From then on, Songliang Mountain was renamed Tianmen Mountain.
Geology - How It Was Formed
The altitude of the mountains in Hunan Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park ranges from 1,350 to 1,500 meters. Geologically, it is a complete syncline tectonic unit, featuring typical Zhongshan karst plateau peak forest canyon landforms. The mountain is a karst plateau with sheer cliffs, while the foot of the mountain features karst peak forest and canyon landscapes. The entire mountain is dotted with karst mounds, rock buds, depressions, funnels and caves. Here, the relatively well-developed karst landform distinguishes it from the sandstone peak forest landscape of Wulingyuan.
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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
One of the top things to do in Zhangjiajie, 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 only 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 when travel in Zhangjiajie.
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
Another best thing to do on Tianmen Mountain is hiking Ghost Path (Ghost Valley Plank Road). 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.
Tianmen Mountain Forest
On the top of Zhangjiajie Tianmenshan Mountain there is a complete primitive sub-forest, thanks to the fact that the forest grows on the surface of karst mountain terrain. As of 2008, there are 92 families, 182 genera and 266 species of wild ornamental plants in China’s Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park. It is a rare “primitive air garden” full of charm throughout the year.
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Best Time 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 and hiking.
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 when it snows which is incredibly beautiful and tranquil.
Please note, the temperature on the mountain is about 6 to 8 degrees lower than that in the urban area, and the duration of sunshine is 12 to 14 hours.
>> Read more about Zhangjiajie weather and best time to visit
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
How to get to Tianmen Mountain from Beijing
By Plane: If you plan a tour from Beijing to Zhangjiajie Tianmen Mountain, you are suggested to fly to Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport (about 2.5h) first. Then take a bus or taxi to get to Tianmen Mountain.
By CRH: Another option, take a high speed train from Beijing to Changsha (5.5 to 6.5h) first. Then take another high speed train from Changsha to Zhangjiajie Railway Station (about 2.5h).
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How to get to Tianmen Mountain from Shanghai
By Air: For your Shanghai to Zhangjiajie tours, fly directly from Shanghai Pudong or Hongqiao airport to Zhangjiajie airport (about 2.5h). Then make your way to Tianmen Mountain National Park.
By CRH: To save money, you may take a bullet train from Shanghai Railway Station to Changsha (4.5 to 5h) , and transfer for another fast train to Zhangjiajie (about 2.5h).
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How to Visit Tianmen Mountain National Park
Here we recommend two traveling routes:
A: Eastern Route (Biye Yaotai Scenic Area) : Upper station of the Grand Cableway → Suspension of the Divine Valley → North View of Tianmen → Yunmeng Xianding (the highest peak of Tianmen Mountain, overlooking the rise and fall of the mountains and the misty city) → Lingquan Temple (a foot of Lingquan spring water, a few drops of plum rain) → Drunken Cloud Pavilion → Happy Forest → Stone Door Lock Green → Xianyuan → Love of Wood and Stone (Wood and stone form a forest) → Immortal Sitting (laughing at the Eight Immortals) → Cherry Bay (Experiencing the sacred mountain cuisine) → Viewing Tianmen Mountain Temple the first temple in western Hunan) → Return to the upper station of the cable car on the middle line.
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.
Line B: Take a free shuttle bus to Tianmen Cave, take a lift to the top of the mountain, and then take a cable car down.
>> Related reading: Hiking in Zhangjiajie: Best Hiking Trails
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)
Plan a Tianmen Mountain Tour with ETC
When it comes to creating private Zhangjaijie tours with Tianmen Mountain for you and your friends or family, we pay attention to every detail from your schedule and interests to your travel style. We will hand pick the hotels, restaurants, and experiences to make your trip memorable.
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