Yuanjiajie Viewpoint

Yuanjiajie is a broad sandstone plateau at the top of Wulingyuan's pillar formations, reached by the Bailong Elevator or cable car from the valley below, and the most dramatic viewpoint in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. From the plateau edge, visitors look out across a sea of freestanding sandstone columns rising from forested valleys 500 metres below, clouds often threading between the pillars and recreating the Avatar-like floating mountain effect that made the park globally famous. The viewpoint platform dubbed "Hallelujah Mountain Viewing Platform" faces the renamed Avatar Hallelujah Mountain column directly. A short walk along the plateau rim accesses the First Bridge Under Heaven — a natural stone arch bridging two cliff tops 357 metres above the valley floor — and the Tianxia Diyi Qiao suspension walkway. Sunrise visits offer the best atmospheric conditions, with mist in the valleys and golden light on the column tops; the plateau is frequently in cloud by mid-morning. The Yuanjiajie scenic area also contains the highest cliff-top trail network in the park.