What the park ticket covers
Zhangjiajie National Forest Park sells a multi-day ticket that includes the internal shuttle buses and covers Wulingyuan's four parts: Zhangjiajie itself, Suoxiyu, Tianzi Mountain and Yangjiajie. It does not include the Bailong Elevator, the Tianzi Mountain cableway, the Yangjiajie cableway or the Huangshizhai cableway — those are separate tickets bought at the station or on board.
In practice this is the single most useful thing to know before you arrive: the ticket gets you into the park, and you still pay to go up and down. Budget for at least one lift or cableway each way unless you plan to walk, which on the main routes means two to three hours of stairs.
What the other sights cost
Tianmen Mountain is a separate ticket that usually bundles the cable car and the shuttle buses, and is the most expensive single item on a Zhangjiajie itinerary. The Grand Canyon glass bridge sells a bridge ticket and a canyon ticket separately — check which one you are buying, because the bridge alone does not include the walk through the gorge. Baofeng Lake and Yellow Dragon Cave are modest add-ons that suit a half day each. Fenghuang Ancient Town has no entry fee for the town itself, though individual sights inside are ticketed.
Prices change with the season and are revised every year or two, so treat any figure you read online — including ours — as an indication and check the board at the gate.
How to book
Most tickets can be bought at the gate on the day, and for the national park that is usually fine outside holiday weeks. Tianmen Mountain is the exception: it runs timed entry, and the cable car slots sell out days ahead in peak season. Book that one online, through the official WeChat account, as soon as your dates are fixed.
Bring your passport. Tickets are increasingly tied to ID, particularly for Tianmen Mountain and the glass bridge, and the name on the booking has to match the document you present.
Discounts and pitfalls
Reduced admission applies to children below the stated height, seniors above the stated age, serving military and holders of a disability certificate — with ID, always. Students sometimes qualify on production of a student card, but the rule varies by site.
Ignore anyone at the car park offering "discount tickets" or a "guide who can get you in cheaper". Park entry is checked against ID at the gate, so a resold ticket will not work, and the money is gone.