Tianmen Mountain (Chinese: 天門山; pinyin: Tiānmén Shān) is a mountain located within Tianmen Mountain National Park, Zhangjiajie, in the northwestern part of Hunan Province, China.

Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park, commonly called Tianmen Mountain, is characterized by huge limestone mountain tablelands with sheer cliffs and jagged peaks clothed in verdure. Although Tianmen Mountain lacks the freestanding obelisks of Zhangjiajie, this place is striking in its beauty and grandeur. Tianmen Mountain is the highest peak of Zhangjiajie city and is regarded as the ‘soul’ of the scenic area. Tianmen Mountain known for its “five wonders” – Tianmen Mountain Cableway, Avenue to the Sky, Tianmen Cave, Glass Walkway, and Mountain Plateau Virgin Forest.

Zhangjiajie Tianmenshan Panshan Highway is Most Dangerous Highway For Car Rider: Tongtian Highway, Zhangjiajie, China（中国张家界通天大道）:

Tongtian Highway, located at the Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park in northwestern Hunan province, China, is a winding mountain road to the famous Tianmen Cave, which is located on the mountain peak. Measuring more than 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) in length and 200 meters (656.17 feet) to 1,200 meters (3,937 feet) above sea level, the road has 99 sharp turns. It took eight years and about 100 million yuan(US$16.2 million) to construct the road.The Tongtian Highway is known as the "First wonder of China's highways."

Avenue to the Sky
You can go down from the mountain by bus over the road “Avenue to the Sky” (Tongtian Avenue) with 99 sharp turns that snakes up Tianmen Mountain. The name of the road is not an exaggeration, it’s one of the most impressive mountain roads in the world. The serpentine length is about 11 kilometers, but the elevation rises rapidly from 200 meters to 1300 meters. The road is so popular that some people consider it as the main attraction of the park.

The road is built for tourist use, taking tourists from the mountain foot to the top of the mountain and Tianmen Cave. Tourist buses take travelers from the midway cable car station along some of these 99 bends to Tianmen Cave. The bus doesn't stop on the way. It takes about 20 minutes to the cave. The ride, full of sharp turns along vertical cliffs, is not recommended for those who are easily carsick.

If someone in your travel group don't want to take the bus, our guide will help find a good relaxing place for him/her to wait for the rest of you.

Tianmen Mountain Cableway

Tianmen Mountain Cableway is the longest cableway in the world. Spans of the cableway are up to 500 meters! In some places, the road rises steeply at an angle of 70º, suddenly crashing straight into the clouds. An unforgettable experience!

The cable car is a 5 to 10 minute walk from the Zhangjiajie central transport hub, and on our visit we arrive to the ticket office to be second in the queue. There is also the option of ticket vending machines, although I didn’t see English on these. Ticket prices in low season were 225 Yuan for the two-way cable car ride and entrance to Tianmen Mountain. The cable car turned out to be the highlight of the journey for us, and it’s said to be the longest in the world taking around 30 minutes to travel a length of 7 plus kilometers. Also, some fantastic views along the way.

Which Route?

When up up on the mountain there are a number of routes to navigate the top. I would say the easiest route, from the upper cable car station, would be taking the lift direct to Yunmen Fairy Peak where you will arrive to a hilltop Pagoda with Panoramic views of surrounding mountains and valleys. From here there is a second, open cable car (25 Yuan one-way) which take you to the opposite peak where Tianmenshan Temple is located. This also marks the start of two different routes. The first, simpler route travels back down to the upper cable car station which we didn’t cover. The second is more extensive and follows cliff side walkways around the mountain top. This is where you’ll find the glass skywalk and many of the best views of Tianmen Mountain. This also leads back to the cable car and bearing the end of this route will find an elevator to Tianmen Cave, the big hole in the face of the mountain.

Closures…

Among the closed attractions on our trip were Turbulent Water, Uhu Peak, the Skywalk and the elevators to Tianmen Cave. Yes, we missed all the best bits. Also, a week later we see photos of the skywalk open and the best of Tianmen covered in snow. For us it was bad luck, I guess.

Of what we did see, the highlights would probably include the two cable cars and Tianmenshan Temple. There are scenic view points along the way, but if planning to see Zhangjiajie National Park the views at Tianmen Mountain don’t quite compare. Either way it is still worth visiting.

Tianmen Cave

Tianmen Cave (aka Gate to the Heaven) is the world’s highest cave of its kind. It was formed naturally as a result of soil erosion. It’s alleged that in the year of 263, a large chunk of the mountain just fell off, creating a huge cavity (131.5 m height, 57 m width and 60 m long). Сloud capped “Heaven’s Gate” is impressive. There is a feeling that after passed through the gates you’ll find yourself in heaven.

Tianmen Cave (Heaven’s Door Cave | Heaven’s Gate Cave | 天 门) is the world’s highest cave of its kind. It was formed naturally as a result of soil erosion. It’s alleged that in the year of 263, a large chunk of the mountain just fell off, creating a huge cavity (131.5 m height, 57 m width and 60 m long). Сloud capped “Heaven’s Gate” is impressive. There is a feeling that after passed through the gates you’ll find yourself in heaven.

The World Wingsuit League held the first and second World Wingsuit Championships at Tianmen Mountain, flying through Tianmen Cave.

Then there are 999 steep and narrow steps up to the cave — “The Stairway to Heaven”. It is a hard and tiresome climb (about 30 minutes). The views from the cave are quite plain, and it is always crowded, and hard to find a good place for photos. So it’s only really worth doing to say you’ve “climbed the stairway to heaven” and “knocked on Heaven’s Door”.

It is a hard and tiresome climb (about 30 minutes). The views from the cave are quite plain, and it is always crowded, and hard to find a good place for photos. So it's only really worth doing to say you've "climbed the stairway to heaven" and "knocked on Heaven's Door".

The number “9” in this case is not accidental. In the Taoist tradition this number is a symbol of the emperor (son of heaven), and the supreme number that is available for a person. The value of this number emphasizes the mystery of this place, located in the border of human and divine worlds.

The Famous Original Skywalk — "The Walk of Faith"

The Glass Sky Walk (“The Walk of Faith”) is part of the cliff-hanging walkway, and is the highest section. The skywalk is 60 meters long, with a width of 1.6 meters.

In order to make it easier to keep the glass floor clean, all visitors are required to wear a special textile slippers, which can be rented at the entrance for 5 Yuan (RMB).

The walkway was built along the edges of this mountain's summits, clinging to the vertical cliffs. The walkway is about 1.6 kilometers long, about 1,400 meters high. The cliffside loop takes about 1½ hours. At the end of the walkway, there is a hanging bridge linking two peaks.

It is always busy and crowded along the walkway. You may find you need to fight for a place to take photos. Avoiding the crowds is essential for you to enjoy the highlights and take good photos. Your experienced guide knows how to help you get the best out of the experience.

Frankly speaking, I’m not really afraid of heights, especially knowing that the place is safe. And incidentally those slippers not really help to keep the glass floor actually transparent. So you don’t really feel the height and the scope. So I was not very impressed with the walk along the famous “heavenly way”. However, I saw people who literally clung to the rock away from the glass walls and nearly fainted from the emotional intensity. So a lot depends on the sensibility and past experience. But the walk is still worth it, at least to try it.

The first glass skywalk on Tianmen Mountain called "the Walk of Faith" opened in November 2011. Since then it has been a must-see tourist attraction on the west side of the mountain. (A less-known glass skywalk on the east side opened in April, 2015.)

Location: part of the cliff-hanging walkway by Ghost-Valley Cave (鬼谷洞), only about 200m from the top of the cableway
Altitude: over 1,400 meters (4,600 feet)
Dimensions: 60 meters (197 feet) long, 1.6 meters (5 feet) wide.
It gives a thrilling feeling like walking in the sky. It is definitely not suitable for the faint-hearted. It is interesting to see people (scared of the height) leaning against the cliff as they cross it.

On foggy days, it is easier to walk across as you can see nothing below, however the thrilling feature of the walkways is lost. If it rains the day before, there is usually heavy fog at the mountain top. You are advised to check the weather forecast before going to get the best experience. Our travel advisors can also give you some useful suggestions.

The glass walkways close when they are covered by ice and snow in winter.

The Newest Skywalk — 'Coiled Dragon Cliff'

The third glass skywalk in Tianmen Mountain Scenic Area 'Coiled Dragon Cliff Glass Walkway' (盘龙崖玻璃栈道) opened to the public on August 1st, 2016. It offers a new way to enjoy the stunning mountainous landscapes — though you might be too terrified to appreciate the views!

Location: above the 99 Bends, about 600m from the top of the cableway
Altitude: over 1,400 meters (4,600 feet)
Dimensions: 100 meters (328 feet) long, 1.6 meter (5 feet) wide
Stand on the crystal clear walkway, you can see all the way down to the bottom of the cliff and Tongtian Avenue (Heaven-Linking Avenue), which is the road up the mountain featuring a staggering 99 turns

Tianmen Mountain Temple

Tianmen Mountain Temple (Tianmenshan Temple) was built during the Tang Dynasty as the center of Buddhism in the western Hunan. The modern church is a reconstruction of the original temple on an area of over 10,000 square meters. m. The temple is located in a mountain hollow with a broad overview. If you look at the temple from the south-east, the surrounding hills seem to be so small that the temple looks like a lord – the son of the sky. This temple is one of the major pilgrimage sites in Hunan Province.

Ghost Plank Road

It is famous for its hanging along the cliff line of the Ghost Cave. The length of the path is 1,600m with an average elevation of 1400m. The path starts from Yihong pass and ends at small Tianmen Gate. The path is different with others as it is not located neither on the top of the cliff, nor the side of the cliff, but in the middle of bottomless cliff, giving tourists a feeling of excitement and surprise.

Tianmen Mountain Tunnel Elevator

The Smartest Travel Route

The tour needs more than half a day, even a full day if you want to travel slowly. Our guide will remind you to bring some snacks / a picnic. Food sold at the small restaurants on the mountain is expensive, and the quality is unreliable. We don't arrange our customers to eat at the mountain restaurants.

The itinerary usually goes this way:

Cable car up to a lesser peak (about 30 minutes).

Walk around the cliff-hanging walkways (about 1½ hours).

Take a chairlift to the summit (about 20 minutes wait and 20 minutes chairlift ride). Explore the summit, climbing to the top of a tower for a photo or bird's-eye view of the mountains.

Take an elevator to the cable car station, and take the cable car back to the mid cable car station, where you can take a tourist bus to the cave.

Climb to Tianmen Cave for about 25 minutes, and then take the bus back.

Take the cable car at the mid cable car station down the mountain.