Zhangjiajie Forest Park transport: buses, Bailong Elevator and cableways

To see Yuanjiajie and Tianzi Mountain without long stair climbs, take valley buses to a lift or cableway, then ride upper buses across the summit ridge. Starting at the East Gate, take Bailong Elevator up to explore Yuanjiajie, ride the mountain bus to Tianzi Mountain, and take the Tianzi cableway back down to catch a return bus.

Choose the mountain area and your rides

For a day from the East Gate covering Yuanjiajie and Tianzi Mountain, pair Bailong Elevator with Tianzi cableway. Take one up and the other down. Upper buses connect the sightseeing areas so you can complete a loop without returning to your starting lift.

Choose Yangjiajie cableway for the West Gate and Yangjiajie's rock walls. Choose Huangshizhai cableway for the separate plateau near the South Gate. Match your hotel, mountain stops and exit using the park entrances guide.

These adult one-way reference fares were checked in October 2026:

The gate-and-bus ticket includes the regular eco-buses. Tickets for the four lifts and cableways are purchased separately.

Two bus networks and a transport map

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park has two separate shuttle bus networks. The valley buses link the East Gate, Tianzi cableway lower station, Ten-Mile Gallery, Shuiraosimen and Bailong Elevator lower station. The upper buses run along the ridge between Yuanjiajie, Yangjiajie and Tianzi Mountain. Elevators, cableways or hiking trails connect the two levels. The North Gate connects directly by road to the upper bus network.

Buses stop at parking areas beside walking trails. Short walks connect the stops, lift lobbies and viewpoints.

Bailong Elevator: East Gate to Yuanjiajie

The Zhangjiajie elevator is Bailong Elevator (百龙天梯), which links the valley with Yuanjiajie.

Choose Bailong when Yuanjiajie's sandstone pillars are your first or last mountain stop. The cliff-face lift avoids a long stair climb. Its exposed glass section gives a brief view of the peaks; the main viewpoints are on the upper walking trail. Locate Bailong Elevator on the map.

At the East Gate (武陵源东门 / 武陵源标志门 / 吴家峪门票站), follow the B-direction signs toward 百龙天梯下站, the Bailong lower station near Shuiraosimen (水绕四门).

1. Take the valley shuttle to Bailong lower station, about 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Walk to the entrance and ride the elevator up, about 90 seconds.
3. Leave 百龙天梯上站 and follow signs to parking. Take the shuttle to 迷魂台停车场 (Mihuntai parking), about 5 to 8 minutes.
4. Walk the cliffside trail past Mihuntai and the Qiankun Pillar, known as Avatar Hallelujah Mountain, to Tianxia Diyi Qiao (First Bridge Under Heaven).
5. Leave the bridge viewing area and walk to 天下第一桥停车场 for your next upper bus.

Buy a return lift ticket if you ascend and descend by Bailong. For a loop through Tianzi, buy a Bailong one-way ticket.

Yuanjiajie to Tianzi, then down to East Gate

From Tianxia Diyi Qiao parking, take the bus toward 杨家界停车场 (Yangjiajie parking), about 7 to 10 minutes. Transfer there to the bus for 天子山贺龙公园 (Helong Park / Tianzi Mountain), about 25 to 35 minutes.

You can stop for Yangjiajie's trails and return to the same parking area for the Tianzi bus. Staying on the upper road connects the mountain areas without descending into the valley.

At Tianzi, walk to Helong Park's viewpoints. Return to 贺龙公园停车场, then take the 2 to 3 minute shuttle to 天子山索道上站 (Tianzi cableway upper station).

Tianzi cableway and the reverse route

Tianzi cableway travels over forest and sharp peaks, giving a longer moving view than Bailong's exposed glass section. Ride down for 8 to 10 minutes. From 天子山索道下站, walk to the valley bus stop and take the 10 to 20 minute bus to the East Gate.

To visit Tianzi first, follow East Gate A-direction signs to the cableway lower station. Ride up, then take the shuttle to Helong Park. After sightseeing, take upper buses through Yangjiajie to Tianxia Diyi Qiao parking. Walk through Yuanjiajie from the bridge to Mihuntai, take the shuttle to Bailong upper station and descend. At the bottom, take the valley bus to the East Gate.

Buy a Tianzi return ticket if you only visit Tianzi and come down the same way. For Tianzi first and Bailong down, buy a one-way cableway ascent. The A and B routes cover the same scenery in opposite directions; the reverse route lets you travel against the main morning visitor flow.

South Gate, Golden Whip Stream and Huangshizhai

From the South Gate (森林公园门票站 / 锣鼓塔门票站), walk into Oxygen Square and Laomowan (大氧吧广场 / 老磨湾). This hub connects the Golden Whip Stream trail and the Huangshizhai shuttle.

Golden Whip Stream and Ten-Mile Gallery

Follow Golden Whip Stream's flat path to 水绕四门 (Shuiraosimen). The full valley walk takes about 2 to 3 hours. At Shuiraosimen, take a valley bus to Bailong lower station or the East Gate. Buses serve the trail ends; the stream path itself is on foot.

Along the eastern valley bus route, get off at 十里画廊 (Ten-Mile Gallery). Walk or take the sightseeing mini-train along the canyon. Return to the entrance stop to continue by bus toward Bailong or the East Gate.

Huangshizhai's separate plateau

Take the local shuttle from Oxygen Square to 黄石寨索道下站 (Huangshizhai cableway lower station) at Baishajing (白沙井). Ride up and allow about two hours for the summit loop. Return to 黄石寨索道上站 to descend, then take the shuttle back to Oxygen Square.

To hike down, use the front-mountain stone steps (黄石寨前山), which lead to Oxygen Square and Golden Whip Stream. Huangshizhai is a separate plateau. To continue to Yuanjiajie from here, return to the valley, walk Golden Whip Stream to Shuiraosimen, and take the bus to Bailong lower station.

Yangjiajie and North Gate connections

From the West Gate (杨家界门票站), take the 5-minute shuttle to Balipo (八里坡) beside 杨家界索道下站. Ride to 杨家界索道上站, then follow the paved path to Liujiayan (刘家檐), the upper bus stop for Yuanjiajie and Tianzi.

This route brings you close to Yangjiajie's natural rock walls. For a shorter visit, choose the Natural Great Wall (天然长城). One Step to Heaven (一步登天) and the Air Corridor (空中走廊) involve steeper climbing.

The South Gate approach to Yangjiajie requires an uphill walking transfer. From Oxygen Square, take the shuttle to 龙凤庵下站. Climb the boardwalk and outdoor steps to 龙凤庵上站, then take another bus to Balipo and the cableway. Entering through the West Gate avoids this stair climb.

To leave through the South Gate from Yangjiajie, descend by cableway. Take a shuttle from its lower parking area to 龙凤庵上站. Walk down the stepped path to 龙凤庵下站, about 10 minutes, then change to the South Gate bus.

North Gate: reach the upper road by bus

From the North Gate (天子山门票站), buses connect directly to the upper mountain road via 三岔口 (Sanchakou). Choose Tianzi or Yangjiajie on the departure board. If the bus ends at Sanchakou, transfer there. Use the reverse road connection to leave through the North Gate.

Walk instead of riding

For a day focused on mountain hiking, use these trails in place of the lift or cableways:

• Bailong alternative: Luancuanpo (乱窜坡) connects Yuanjiajie's Back Garden (袁家界后花园) with Qianli Xianghui (千里相会) on Golden Whip Stream. Allow about 60 to 90 minutes for the stone-step descent, then extra time along the stream to your bus connection.
• Tianzi alternative: From Tianzi Pavilion (天子阁), walk past Yueliangya (月亮垭) and Nantianmen (南天门) to Sansuo junction (三所路口), then catch a valley bus.
• Yangjiajie alternative: Walk between Wulongzhai junction (乌龙寨路口) and Balipo near the cableway lower station.
• Huangshizhai alternative: The front-mountain stairs connect the summit loop with Oxygen Square.

The forest park hiking guide covers longer trails and trail junctions in detail.

What the transport costs and which tickets to buy

The gate-and-bus ticket covers regular park eco-buses. The four lifts use separate fares. Ten-Mile Gallery's sightseeing train costs CNY 38 (≈ USD 5.7 ) per adult one-way.

For the standard East Gate loop, Bailong up and Tianzi down (or the reverse) total CNY 137 (≈ USD 21 ) per adult. These two rides cost less than the four-ride pass at CNY 238 (≈ USD 36 ) per adult.

If you also add Huangshizhai up and down on a second day, four single fares total CNY 267 (≈ USD 40 ) per adult. In that case, the four-ride pass saves CNY 29 (≈ USD 4.3 ) per adult. It covers four one-way journeys across Bailong, Tianzi, Yangjiajie and Huangshizhai within four consecutive days. A multi-ride pass is available at CNY 298 (≈ USD 45 ) per adult for unlimited rides on these four facilities over four days.

Book your admission ticket and individual lift rides using your US passport details through official mini-programs or ticket windows, matching the name exactly as printed on your passport.

Practical transfer tips

• At upper parking areas, look for destination names on the departure board. 贺龙公园 serves Tianzi's viewpoints; 天子山索道上站 serves the downward cableway.
• When heading toward intermediate stops like 大观台, 神堂湾 or 点将台, show the Chinese name to the driver before boarding.
• Check the last bus and last cableway departure times at your entry station to plan your afternoon descent.
• The mountain road between Yangjiajie and Tianzi has frequent curves; sit near the front if you are prone to motion sickness.
• Leave large luggage at your hotel and carry a light daypack for stairs and viewpoint paths.