Zhangjiajie National Park – A Place Where Nature Feels Ancient and Alive

/ China, Global Travels / By

Zhangjiajie National Park is one of the most extraordinary natural landscapes in China, a place where towering sandstone pillars, misty valleys and ancient forests create scenery that feels almost otherworldly. This was the first national park ever established in China and today it forms part of the wider Wulingyuan Scenic Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site celebrated for its dramatic cliffs, hidden trails and wild, untouched beauty. For many travellers it is the heart of Hunan Province and one of the most unforgettable outdoor experiences in the country.

What Makes Zhangjiajie National Park So Special?

Zhangjiajie National Park is special because it offers a blend of iconic viewpoints, peaceful hiking paths and jaw-dropping landscapes that you simply do not see anywhere else. The famous sandstone pillars rise like giant stone forests with trails that weave between towering walls, deep ravines and quiet pockets of nature. What surprised us most was how vast the park is and how every turn reveals something new. It is a place where you can walk for hours surrounded by silence, fresh mountain air and endless views that make you feel incredibly small in the best possible way.

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Our Experience at Zhangjiajie National Park

Didi: 180 yuan one way from Zhangjiajie City

We stayed on the West Gate side — and thank goodness we did. Staying 5 minutes from the entrance shaped our entire journey. We chose the 4-day premium pass (521 yuan pp), which included unlimited gondolas, shuttles and the Bailong Elevator. Our homestay was run by the loveliest couple and their daughter Carol, who speaks excellent English, was the true game changer. She explained everything with such clarity and kindness that her instructions became our bible. With her guidance and our 4-day pass, we explored every trail, every angle, every viewpoint — and it was absolutely unforgettable.

🏡 Where We Stayed & Why It Mattered

Our homestay was only 5 minutes from the West Gate entrance and this location was the secret sauce to avoiding the overwhelming crowds that enter from the East Gate.
Two reasons made this place perfect:

⭐ Fantastic Reviews

Carol, the owners’ daughter, speaks very good English, is incredibly patient and gives you 100% attention. We stayed 4 nights, but 2 nights is enough if you’re only visiting the main attractions. Breakfast and laundry are paid extras, but we didn’t mind — it felt good supporting a small family business.

⭐ The Location

Being so close to the entrance meant we were always ahead of the crowds. Many travellers only know about the East Gate, but the West Gate gives you access to the park in the opposite direction of most tour groups.

For us, this decision shaped everything.

👣 Understanding the Park Layout

As for the park itself — at first I just couldn’t wrap my head around how it all worked. Every review kept mentioning “go against the flow,” but I just couldn’t visualise it… until we saw it with our own eyes.

OMG the crowds. The wave of people coming towards us felt next level crazy. Walking the opposite direction meant that sometimes we were swallowed up by the flow and other times we had entire stretches of peaceful track to ourselves. All I could think was, thank goodness I read those reviews and chose to stay near the West Gate.

Take the Bailong Elevator for example. We were the only ones in line — truly, not another person waiting — and we got the whole lift to ourselves twice, and this was going down. Meanwhile, the East Gate queues were going up, and honestly… it was wild. We watched more than 20+ people crammed into one lift, all trying to squeeze out so we could get in. When we reached the bottom, our jaws dropped — the queue stretched on and on and on. We immediately knew most people would face a minimum of two hours waiting just to get on the elevator.

We’ve even seen YouTube videos where travellers only made it to two attractions in one day because they spent around six hours in queues. Buggar that.

You do need to have your wits about you in the park because no one speaks English, so keep your translator app open and ready. But honestly, Carol saved us. She explains everything perfectly, and all you have to do is follow her map. The instructions she sends through WhatsApp become your absolute bible. She includes everything in both English and Chinese so when you show someone for help they instantly know where you need to go.

You won’t get a smile — usually just a grunt and a pointed finger — but it gets you where you need to be.

When you arrive at the gate you simply verify your tickets (always carry your passport, no exceptions) and someone will grunt and point you toward the bus lane. The next person will grunt and point you to the correct bus, and that bus will take you to the gondola. Just follow the flow — everyone is heading UP.

We caught the first lift at 8am and it was packed with workers. It was honestly hilarious watching the groundskeepers, gardeners, drivers, cooks and everyone in between loading up their gear for the day. Some even had whole chicken’s upside down in baskets destined for the pot, which was quite a sight. As the gondola climbed, everything suddenly felt peaceful, and that’s when it hit us — this is it, the magic is beginning.

At the top, exit the station and head left, then right (downhill). You’ll find bathrooms, restaurants and gift shops everywhere. A small warning though: bring your own toilet tissues. They have an app that dispenses tissues once you scan, but we could not get it working at all and not all bathrooms have sit down toilets so expect to squat.

As you explore the shops you’ll make your way to the bus stop. Again, you may wonder where to stand or which bus to catch, but just show your instructions and they will grunt and point you the right way

🌀Zhangiajie National Park – Avatar Mountain

For your first day you’ll be heading to the Avatar Mountains, about a 15–minute bus ride up. The drivers are incredibly skilled, and while a few moments might feel a little hairy, we never felt unsafe. When you arrive, everything is pretty straightforward. You’ll wonder where all the crowds are, but don’t worry — they’re coming from the other direction. It won’t take long before you meet them. This is one of the only areas where it feels a bit chaotic, but the photo opportunities are endless.

This is also the route that takes you to the Bailong Elevator, and it’s here that you truly understand why starting at the West Gate is one of the best decisions you can make. From this point on, you’re just swept up in the journey. The Avatar Mountains are absolutely breathtaking — they hit you right in your soul. But be warned, it’s not peaceful or quiet. The crowds are loud and constant, and as much as you want to find a calm corner to breathe, the noise travels everywhere. Looking back, I wished I had brought headphones with soft sounds, just to create a little bubble of calm.

🌲 Walking the Trails

Watch your step, as some paths are uneven, and take your time settling into the rhythm of the walk. Some photo spots have long, chaotic lines but don’t stress — the park is huge and you will never run out of beautiful vantage points to capture that perfect moment.

Over the next three days we covered every walk and every track, hiking for hours each day. Even though the scenery followed a similar theme, it never felt repetitive. Seeing the mountains from above, below, between and across revealed new layers of magic at every turn.

One of the highlights was the Golden Whip Stream, a peaceful 7.2km wander with small food stalls and toilets along the way. It’s an easy, relaxing walk where you can slow down and really take in the forest atmosphere.

We also took the cable car up to Huangshi Zhai, but we were running out of time to get back to the West Gate cable car before closing and didn’t fancy the two-hour descent on foot. Our host had recommended a certain direction for the day but the thought of ascending the Bailong Elevator didn’t appeal to us, even though she said it would be empty later. So we simply did the same route in reverse — and it worked out perfectly.

🚶‍♀️ Fields in the Sky

On our fourth day, we walked from the West Gate to the East Gate, where we planned to spend two nights and visit the famous Glass Bridge. Along the way we tackled the Fields in the Sky track — a walk of 4.7km. We weren’t sure what to expect, but it came recommended, so off we went.

If you are deciding whether to walk or shuttle, here’s my honest take:
The walk follows the road, with very little scenic payoff. Maybe two good viewpoints along the way, but the real reward is at the Fields in the Sky viewing platforms themselves. If I were doing it again, I’d save my legs and take the shuttle.

Once you reach the top, the views from this side are incredible — in some ways more peaceful and more soulful than the other viewing areas. It’s a steep descent (which of course means a steep climb if you go the opposite way), but the sweeping views back toward the Bailong Elevator are just as breathtaking, with far fewer crowds and some fantastic places for photos.

We found a tiny restaurant perched on the cliff edge and enjoyed our packed picnic there — the kind of moment where everything slows down and the views stretch out endlessly beneath you. Don’t worry, the whole area sits along the cliff, so every corner is picture perfect.

🌿How to Reverse the Flow from the East Gate

So I had a thought — if you enter from the East Gate and choose to stay in Wulingyuan (which is a gorgeous little town), you can still follow a reverse-flow route. I didn’t do this version myself, but once I mapped it out, it made sense for avoiding the biggest crowds. When you enter the park, instead of heading left toward the Bailong Elevator, turn right toward the cable car. Go straight to the Tiani Shan Station, catch the bus to Avatar Mountain, and work your way toward the Bailong Elevator from that direction.

⭐ Would We Change Anything?

Absolutely not.
Staying on the West Gate side, choosing the 4-day pass, walking opposite the flow, and trusting Carol’s instructions made this one of our most rewarding travel experiences.

🔎 5 Interesting Facts About Zhangjiajie National Park

  1. The Bailong Elevator is the world’s highest outdoor elevator.
  2. The park is home to more than 3,000 sandstone pillars.
  3. The area inspired the Hallelujah Mountains in Avatar.
  4. Zhangjiajie was China’s first national park, established in 1982.
  5. The region is known for its “sea of clouds” — mists that swirl through the pillars at dawn.

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