Tianmen Mountain

Tianmen Mountain takes its name after the Tianmen Cave, a natural karst cave under the mountain. The mountain is relatively gentle, full of old trees, winding vines, mosses, stalagmites, sits upon 494 acres. The rare mountaintop scenery makes it the most beautiful sky garden world over, and a paradise. Owing to this, it became Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park, a national forest park in 1992. The plank road and glass skywalks on the cliffs are worthwhile going. The mountain summit of a height of 4,982 feet (1,518 meters) is about 5 miles from the downtown Zhangjiajie. Below are the major spots to visit:

Tianmen Mountain in Mist

Winter Scenery on the Mountain

 

The principal attraction on Tianmen Mountain, Tianmen Cave is a grand karst cave 431 feet high, 187 feet wide and 197 feet deep spanning under the mountain. Looking from afar, the cave looks like a way up to the heaven, hence the name, Tianmen, meaning Heavenly Door. The cave is shrouded by the year-round dense mists. Sometimes, cloaks of clouds gather at the cave's opening, with the sun glowing through it. , forming magical scenery.
 

Tianmen Mountain Temple, on 5 acres of land, and featured by the overhanging eaves, is the western Hunan regional Buddhism centre. It started building in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and rebuilt in 2002. The temple enshrines one of the five relics of Sakyamuni Buddha in China. From the square in front of the temple, you get a panoramic view of the mountain.
 

The glass skywalk marks the Tianmen Mountain tour climax. It is most fitting for the adventurous. On sunny days, the blue sky and white clouds accompany your walk. You will be both pleased and shocked by the sensation of walking on the clouds and the drop into the void below your feet. On cloudy days, the view of the glass corridor itself is a sensation. Now there are three glass skywalks in the east, west and Panlong Cliff respectively.
 See also: Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge
 

 Take the cable car from the downtown City Garden to the summit → enjoy the sky garden on the peak →take the escalator down to the Tianmen Cave → after exploring Tianmen Cave, get down to the entrance gate by sightseeing bus → change to a shuttle bus for downtown
 Take the shuttle bus from City Garden to the entrance gate → reach the Tianmen Cave by sightseeing bus → after sightseeing, take the escalator up to the summit → tour the sky garden on the peak → take the cable car back to the City Garden

Map of Tianmen Mountain

  By Bus
 Take bus 1A, 1B, 10A, or 13 and get off at Tianmen Mountain Cable Car Company Station. Then walk 240 yards (220 meters) to take the cable car or shuttle bus to the scenic area.
 Take bus 4 and get off at Tianmen Mountain Cable Car Station. Then take the cable car or shuttle bus to the scenic area.
 Take bus 5, 6, 8 and get off at Gezihua International Hotel Station. Then walk 400 yards (360 meters) to the downward cableway station.

 By Taxi
Taxi costs you CNY 10 from downtown area to the City Garden cableway station, and CNY 30 when coming from the airport.
 

Admission Ticket	CNY 232, including scenic spot ticket CNY 75 + traffic fare within scenic area CNY 183 The transport includes single-way cableway, shuttle bus, and the upper escalator between Tiammen Cave and the mountaintop. Note: Free for children measuring below 4.2 feet (1.3 meters) and under 6 years old. CNY 148 for tourists between 6 and 18 years old.
Surcharge inside the Scenic Spot	Peak forest cableway on the mountaintop: CNY 25 for single-way; the concessionary fare  (see * below) is CNY 15. The lower escalator to Tianmen cave: CNY 32 for single-way; the concessionary fare is CNY 20. Note: Free for children below 4.2 feet (1.3 meters). * Concessionary fare is applied to tourists taller than 4.2 feet (1.3 meters) and under 18 years old. A pair of shoe covers for glass skywalk is CNY 5.
Opening Hours	Mar. to Nov.: 06:30-18:00 Dec. to Feb.: 08:00-17:30

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