Top Things to Do in Zhangjiajie:
Hiking the Avatar Mountains & Tianmen Guide
- Written by Emily Carter
- Updated December 2024
My name is Emily Carter, and Zhangjiajie was the trip I didn’t know I needed.
I’d seen the pictures — those surreal, finger-like mountains that inspired Avatar — and I thought I was ready for them. But nothing could have prepared me for how small I’d feel standing among giants carved by time and mist.
I flew into Changsha, caught a train to the little town of Wulingyuan, and spent most of the ride staring out the window, half-asleep, half-dreaming about what lay ahead. By the time I arrived, dawn had broken, and the mountains loomed faintly in the distance — pillars of stone that seemed to touch the clouds.
The First Glimpse of a Dream
The next morning, I took a bus to the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park entrance. The air smelled of rain and pine, and even before stepping inside, I could tell this wasn’t going to be a peaceful, empty hike like I had imagined.
Hundreds of people were already there — groups with matching hats, families, kids waving Chinese flags, and selfie sticks everywhere.
Still, once I stepped through the gates, everything changed.
The noise faded, replaced by the sound of cicadas and the whisper of wind between the peaks. I took the Bailong Elevator, a glass capsule that rockets up 326 meters in under two minutes. As the elevator rose, the world outside transformed — trees became specks, mist curled between the cliffs, and I found myself surrounded by the sandstone spires that James Cameron had dreamed of.
It felt like being inside a painting. Or a hallucination. Maybe both.
Hiking the Floating Peaks
For the rest of the day, I wandered the Yuanjiajie and Tianzi Mountain trails, where the famous “Avatar Hallelujah Mountains” stand.
Every turn offered a new perspective — more towering rocks, more jaw-dropping vistas. The pathways were steep and endless, but the views were worth every step.
At one point, I found a quiet platform called “The First Bridge Under Heaven.” I stood there, sweaty, out of breath, and totally overwhelmed.
The mountains weren’t just beautiful — they were humbling. They reminded me how nature doesn’t care about being photographed or hashtagged. It simply exists, magnificent and untamed.
The Unexpected McDonald’s Moment
By late afternoon, I was starving. My phone map said there was food nearby — I assumed a café or noodle shop. But when I reached the top of Tianzi Mountain, I saw something that made me laugh out loud: a McDonald’s.
I resisted for about three minutes, then gave in. There I was, sitting on a cliffside bench overlooking one of the most breathtaking landscapes in the world, eating a Big Mac.
It was ridiculous, and somehow perfect. Because travel isn’t always graceful — sometimes it’s greasy fingers, aching calves, and moments that make you laugh at yourself.
The Golden Whip Stream
Day two was supposed to be “easy.” Spoiler: it wasn’t.
I started with the Golden Whip Stream, a serene path at the base of the mountains. The trail wound through bamboo forests and along gentle rivers, far from the crowds. It was quiet enough to hear the water trickling and the occasional monkey scampering through the trees.
Those monkeys were adorable — until they weren’t.
I made the rookie mistake of unzipping my backpack to grab a bottle of water, and within seconds, three of them surrounded me. One yanked at my camera strap, another tried to steal my granola bar. I didn’t know whether to laugh or scream.
Eventually, a local man clapped loudly and shooed them away, giving me a knowing grin. “They think you’re easy target,” he said.
He was right.
Steps to the Sky
The peaceful part didn’t last long. From the Golden Whip Stream, I decided to climb up to Huangshi Village — a mere 5,000 steps of steep stone stairs.
By step 2,000, I was drenched in sweat. By step 3,500, I was questioning all my life choices. But at the top, as the fog drifted between the peaks, I felt like I’d reached the edge of the world.
It was silent, apart from the wind. I could see the Avatar Mountains stretching endlessly into the horizon, their edges soft and ghostly in the mist. For a moment, I forgot the pain in my legs and just stood there, breathing it in.
Tianmen Mountain – Fear and Wonder
My third and final day took me to Tianmen Mountain, famous for its 99 curves and the Stairway to Heaven — 999 steps leading up to a natural arch carved in stone.
I took the bus up first, gripping the seat in terror as the driver navigated the hairpin turns like a man on a mission. At the top, the view was breathtaking — a mix of beauty and vertigo.
But the real test came next: the Glass Skywalk.
I slipped on the little velvet shoe covers and stepped out onto the transparent path, clinging to the rail as I stared straight down into a thousand-meter drop. My legs turned to jelly, but I forced myself to keep walking.
Halfway across, I laughed — half fear, half exhilaration.
That was Zhangjiajie in a nutshell: terrifying, awe-inspiring, and impossible to forget.
Reflections on the Edge of the Clouds
That night, back in my guesthouse, I could still feel the echo of the mountains in my legs and the quiet hum of the forest in my ears.
Zhangjiajie wasn’t what I expected. It wasn’t peaceful, or untouched, or easy. It was chaotic, commercialized, and exhausting. But it was also otherworldly — a reminder that beauty can coexist with imperfection.
As I packed my bag, I thought about something the park guide had said earlier:
“Here, even the rocks are alive. They just breathe slower than we do.”
Maybe that’s what travel is about — slowing down enough to breathe with the world again.