Zhangjiajie National Forest Park: The Basics

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is a national forest park and a 5A-rated scenic area in Hunan Province, China. It forms the core of the wider Wulingyuan Scenic Area, which UNESCO added to its World Heritage list in 1992. The park is known for its dense forest, its tall quartz-sandstone pillars, and the deep ravines that run between them. It is a place to walk, look up, and take your time.

Where It Is and How to Get There

The park sits in Wulingyuan District, Zhangjiajie City, in the northwest of Hunan. The main gate, known as the Forest Park entrance, is at the edge of Zhangjiajie village, about 32 kilometres from Zhangjiajie city centre and roughly 40 minutes by road.

Most travellers fly into Zhangjiajie Hehua International Airport or arrive by high-speed train at Zhangjiajie West Station, then take a taxi or a local bus to Wulingyuan or to the park gate. From Zhangjiajie city, local buses leave for the park and for Wulingyuan through the day. Inside the park, free shuttle buses link the main viewpoints and trailheads, and the Bailong Elevator and the Tianzi Mountain cableway carry you up the steep sections.

How the Park Came About

The area was long a remote corner of western Hunan, home to Tujia, Miao and Bai communities. In 1982 the Chinese government designated it as the country's first national forest park. In 1988 the larger Wulingyuan Scenic Area was established, and in 1992 UNESCO listed Wulingyuan as a World Heritage site for its quartz-sandstone landforms and its biodiversity. Since then, paths, shuttle routes and lifts have opened the park to visitors, and it has grown into one of Hunan's best-known natural destinations.

The Main Scenic Spots

The park holds several distinct areas, each with its own character:

  • Yuanjiajie — the plateau of stone pillars, including the Qiankun Pillar that inspired the floating mountains in the film Avatar. It is reached by the Bailong Elevator or by trail.
  • Tianzi Mountain — a high ridge with wide views over a sea of peaks, reached by cableway or on foot from the top of the park.
  • Golden Whip Stream — a flat, shaded valley walk of about 7.5 kilometres that follows a clear stream beneath the cliffs.
  • Yangjiajie — a quieter, steeper area of narrow ridges and forest, with fewer crowds than Yuanjiajie.
  • Huangshizhai — a summit loop with a broad panorama of the pillar country, climbed by a stone stairway.
  • Baofeng Lake — a calm lake at the foot of the peaks, visited by short boat trips.

What to See and Why It Is Worth It

The Qiankun Pillar in Yuanjiajie. This single sandstone column rises more than 1,000 metres and is the image most people carry home. Standing at the viewing platform, you look across a forest of pillars rather than a single peak, and the scale is what stays with you.

Golden Whip Stream. The walk is easy and mostly level, which makes it a good choice for families and for a slower day. You follow the water between mossy cliffs, and on quiet mornings you may see macaques along the path.

Tianzi Mountain. The ridge gives you the long view: layers of peaks fading into haze, and on clear days a clean line to the horizon