Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park

Tianmen Cave (131.5m high, the world's tallest natural cave piercing through a mountain; 999-step Stairway to Heaven), the 99-bend "Tongtian Avenue" (Avenue to Heaven) winding mountain road (10 km, 99 bends), glass skywalk (60m suspended section on the West Line) + Guigu Plank Road + Sky Corridor; Tianmenshan Temple (rebuilt on Ming dynasty ruins); venue of the Wingsuit Flying World Championship (since 2012); the world's longest mountain passenger cableway (7,455m). Tianmen Mountain, facing Zhangjiajie's city center, is famed for a natural cave that pierces straight through the mountain, known as "Heaven's Gate" — at 131.5m high it is the world's tallest, and a 999-step stairway climbs from the mountain foot right to the cave mouth, so those who ascend feel as if entering heaven's gate; legend has it that Sun Xiu, Emperor of Wu in the Three Kingdoms period, saw the cave's opening as an auspicious omen, and the name Tianmen Mountain dates from that time. The 10-km, 99-bend "Tongtian Avenue" mountain road climbs in one tight switchback after another straight to the summit, while the world's longest mountain passenger cableway (7,455m) runs directly from downtown in a single ride; the West Line glass skywalk hangs 60m above the cliff face, the Guigu Plank Road clings to the rock in mid-air, and the Sky Corridor loops around the mountain. Since 2012 the Wingsuit Flying World Championship has been held here, where "humans challenging their limits" meets the legend of "Heaven's Gate opening and closing" — it is the single most popular attraction in Zhangjiajie.

Getting there: Downtown cableway lower station (direct from the city center)