Personally tested Zhangjiajie National Forest Park guide (one-day version)!

This time I took my family to travel to Zhangjiajie. As a college student, I have good stamina, but I still got a bit exhausted because the schedule was tight, and I had to skip some places. Let me directly summarize how to efficiently avoid queues and fully enjoy the entire forest park.

1️⃣ The forest park ticket allows entry and exit within four days, so you can definitely take your time to explore everything. But I only used one day. This note is suitable for special forces and those traveling with elderly and children on how to easily tour the entire forest park (it is recommended to buy the three cable cars and one elevator multi-ride ticket).

2️⃣ Make an advance reservation for the East Gate A line at 7:00 AM to enter the scenic area, take the shuttle bus and Tianzi Mountain cableway to reach Tianzi Mountain Helong Park.

3️⃣ In Helong Park, it is recommended to see Yubi Peak and then leave without lingering too long (considering stamina and time, there is a lot of walking afterward).

4️⃣ Take the shuttle bus (30 minutes) from Tianzi Mountain to Yangjiajie. To avoid crowds going to Yuanjiajie, take the Yangjiajie cableway down the mountain, then take the shuttle bus to Longfeng Temple, walk 300 meters along the forest plank road to Huangshizhai cableway, and take the cableway to Huangshizhai.

5️⃣ Huangshizhai scenic area has two routes: a large loop and a small loop, see the map for details. For elderly, children, and those with less stamina, take the small loop; for those with good stamina, take the large loop. Star-picking Terrace is a must-visit. Monkeys appear in Huangshizhai 🐒.

6️⃣ After touring, take the cableway back to the South Gate, which should be around 11 AM. Those with good stamina who want to complete the entire Jinbian Stream can rest briefly and continue hiking Jinbian Stream (about 5-6 kilometers). The full hike plus rest takes 2 to 3 hours, ending at Shui Rao Si Men. Those with less stamina can take a bus from the South Gate to the East Gate and reserve the East Gate B line, which also reaches Shui Rao Si Men. If you want to walk part of Jinbian Stream but not the whole way, you can use the same method, entering and exiting from the endpoint and only walking part of Jinbian Stream.

7️⃣ At Shui Rao Si Men, take the shuttle bus to the Bailong Elevator boarding point. This is around 3:30 PM. Many people are going down, but almost no one is going up. The elevator numbers 1 and 2 have better views. After going up, there is a viewing platform with great scenery.

8️⃣ Take the shuttle bus to Yuanjiajie Mihuantai Station. Mihuantai, Qian Kun Pillar, and the First Bridge Under Heaven are must-visits. At the First Bridge Under Heaven bus station, take a bus to the Yangjiajie cableway upper station.

9️⃣ Yangjiajie has the "One Step to Heaven" and the "Sky Corridor," but for a one-day tour, you definitely can't visit them because it’s a backtrack and takes about two hours. It’s better to skip them. After seeing the Natural Great Wall, take a bus to Tianzi Mountain and return to the East Gate following the morning route.

To summarize: Arriving at the East Gate at 7 PM, it’s almost dark. In other seasons, it will be even earlier. It is still recommended to spend two days or at least one and a half days. Touring all the attractions in one day requires very high stamina. Those with elderly and children can skip some parts. This guide is more suitable for special forces travelers and those with good stamina who are in a hurry. I will also release a two-day tour guide and other scenic area guides later. Hope this helps everyone!

If you have questions, feel free to ask me in the comments or send me a private message!

Post by SaaraKuosisto | Sep 17, 2025