The fourth day of the total itinerary, Tuesday, September 1st Visit Zhangjiajie Forest Park (Day 1)

When it comes to Zhangjiajie, almost everyone immediately thinks of the strange peaks and rocks like the forest rising into the sky. In fact, it is just Zhangjiajie Wulingyuan Scenic Area (also known as Zhangjiajie National Forest Park). There are many scenic spots in Zhangjiajie. In addition to Wulingyuan, the more famous ones include Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park, Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, Baofeng Lake, Huanglong Cave, etc. However, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is so famous that this confused many travelers and thought that Zhangjiajie was the abbreviation of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. Therefore, before playing, you must first understand the relationship between these scenic spots and attractions.

Zhangjiajie and Zhangjiajie National Forest Park:

Zhangjiajie is a prefecture-level city in Hunan Province and a popular tourist city in China. Scenic spots in the city include Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, Tianmen Mountain National Forest Park, Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, etc. Most people come to Zhangjiajie to visit Zhangjiajie's core scenic spot-Zhangjiajie National Forest Park.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and Wulingyuan Scenic Area:

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park and Wulingyuan Scenic Area are actually the same scenic spot, with the same ticket, but they are called differently. There are five ticket stations in the scenic area, of which Wulingyuan Ticket Station and Forest Park Ticket Station are the two main entrances.

The main scenic spots in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park are: Yuanjiajie, Tianzi Mountain, Yangjiajie, Suoxiyu, Jinbianxi, etc. They are the core scenic spots that must be visited when visiting Zhangjiajie Forest Park. More than 3,000 strange-shaped peaks rise from the ground, green everywhere. The peaks and valleys are shrouded in clouds and mist, and you can see waterfalls and streams everywhere. The scenery is beautiful. The suspended mountain "Hallelujah Mountain" in the movie "Avatar" was also filmed here.

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park is very big. How long does it take to visit it? I checked online and found that tickets to Zhangjiajie Forest Park can be used for four days. Generally speaking, tours can be one to two days, free travel for two to four days, and those for five days or more are for photo groups or mountain vacations. Some tour groups only arrange one-day tours, but in fact, they can't even see the most important attractions. Two days is fine for young people who travel freely, but it is more difficult for the elderly. We chose three days, and it is said that aesthetic fatigue will occur after four days. This is indeed the case. In the end, some strange peaks and rocks can be turned into scenic spots or parks when they move to any other place, but they no longer feel anything in Zhangjiajie.

Our three-day itinerary is roughly arranged like this:

Day 1: From Zhulin Youyou residents to the Forest Park Ticket Station to buy tickets and enter the park (The owner of the B & B drives it to the gate of the park), and walks to visit the Jinbian River. Take the scenic bus to the Lower Bailong Tianti Station at Shuifeng Simen, take the Bailong Tianti to the Upper Station, and then take the bus to the Yuanjiajie Scenic Area.(Ecstasy Terrace, Qiankun Yizhuo Pillar, World's No. 1 Bridge, etc.); then take a bus to Wulongzhai to visit Wulongzhai Scenic Area (Tianbo Prefecture, etc.); then take a bus from Wulongzhai to Sancha Road Crossing Station in Dingxiang Rong Village and stay at the B & B in Laowuchang (the B & B owner sent a car to pick it up at Sancha Road Crossing).

The next day: Take a bus from Laowuchang → Sancha Crossing Station to Wulongzhai Crossing to visit Yangjiajie Scenic Area (one step, etc.); then take a bus from Wulongzhai Crossing to Daguan Terrace and visit Daguan Terrace (one step difficult, divine chicken pecking food, Xianren Bridge, etc.); return to Laowuchang Scenic Area for a tour (Shenshen Gathering, Sky Pastoral, etc.).

Day 3: Take a bus from Laowuchang → Sancha Crossing Station to Shentangwan, Dianjiangtai, and Tianzi Mountain to visit Tianzi Mountain Scenic Area (Helong Park, Yunqingyan, Yubi Peak, Fairy Dispersing Flowers); Take the Tianzi Mountain cableway down the mountain, and take a bus from the cableway station to Shili Gallery to visit Shili Gallery (take a small train to go and walk back); Take a bus from Shili Gallery to Wulingyuan Ticket Station to leave the park; Take a bus or a taxi to return to Zhulin You residents.

Regarding accommodation: If you choose to play for two or more days, accommodation needs to be considered. Whether you live in the scenic area or outside the scenic area depends on whether you live in the scenic area, and each has its own advantages and disadvantages. Zhangjiajie Forest Park has five entrance gates, namely, the Forest Park Ticket Station in the south by west, the Zimugang Ticket Station in the south by east, the Wulingyuan Ticket Station in the east, the Tianzishan Ticket Station in the north, and the Yangjiajie Ticket Station in the west. Among the five ticket stations, except for the Tianzishan Ticket Station, the other four must take elevators (Bailong Ladder) or cableways (Tianzishan Cableway, Yangjiajie Cableway) to go up and down the mountain. Therefore, if you live outside the scenic spot for several days, it will be time-consuming and laborious, and secondly, the cost of elevators and cableways is not a small expense; there is no need to take elevators and cableways from the Tianzi Mountain Ticket Station to the scenic spots on the mountain, and there is free transportation. connection. However, Jinbianxi and Shili Gallery are both at the foot of the mountain. If you choose to stay at the Tianzi Mountain Ticket Station before and after entering the park, as well as during accommodation, you still need to go up and down the mountain twice to visit Jinbianxi and Shili Gallery unless you give up. After weighing the pros and cons, we chose the plan of living outside the scenic area before and after entering the park, and living on the mountain of the scenic area (Laowuchang) for two nights in the middle. On the day you enter the scenic area, you will first visit the Jinbian River, and then take the Bailong Stairway up the mountain; on the day you leave the scenic area, take the Tianzi Mountain Cableway down the mountain, then visit the Shili Gallery and leave the park. Of course, you can also choose to stay in a hotel or B & B outside the Tianzishan ticket station or in Dingxiang Rong Village for two nights in the middle. However, it will be more troublesome to go to the Laowuchang Scenic Area, because there is no transportation, so you can only take a black taxi. There are also disadvantages to living on the mountain, that is, the conditions are relatively poor. The bathroom of the B & B we stayed in is a squatting pit, which is very difficult for the elderly to use. Of course, there are a few B & Bs and hotels with good conditions, but they are too expensive.

After breakfast, I stored my luggage and car at the residents of Zhulin You, and entrusted the boss to check the luggage brought up the mountain on my behalf.(Zhangjiajie people know how to do business, and 30 yuan per piece of luggage opened a business and solved the problem of tourists. difficulties. Otherwise, it will be unbearable whether you carry your luggage up the mountain yourself or stay on the mountain without changing your clothes for two days), only bring enough drinking water and energy-replenishing food. The boss drove us to the Zhangjiajie Forest Park Ticket Station, bought the ticket and entered the park. Tickets for Zhangjiajie can be used for four days, and you can enter and exit at will during the four days.

After entering the park from the "Forest Park Ticket Station", walk forward about 300 meters to the entrance of Jinbian Creek. This is one of the earliest scenic spots developed in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. It is named after flowing through the Golden Whip Rock. The Jinbian River has a total length of 5710 meters. It meanders from south to north, moves with the mountains, passes through the peaks and valleys, and finally gathers with the Longwei River, the Yuyan River and the Kandong River at Shuiaosimen.

"Three thousand strange peaks and eight hundred beautiful rivers", along the Jinbian River is the most beautiful scenery in Wulingyuan, bringing the mountains and rivers of Zhangjiajie to the fullest. It has "a thousand years of continuous drought, and thousands of years of continuous rain" and "one of the most beautiful canyons in the world". Entering the canyon is like arriving at a "gallery of mountains and rivers". The valley is full of green, clear streams flow all year round, and trees are lush next to the stream. Walking along the stream is like swimming in a painting. The main scenery includes Drunken Arhat, Shenying Whip, Golden Whip Rock, Huaguo Mountain, Shuilian Cave, Splitting Mountain to Save Mother, Thousands of Miles Meet, Nanmu Ping, Shuiping Simen, etc.

When you reach Shuihuan Simen, Jinbian Creek ends. Take the scenic bus here to the "Hundred Dragons Ladder" stop, and then take the elevator up the mountain.

Bailong Ladder is a sightseeing elevator in Zhangjiajie Forest Park. It is located in the core scenic area of Wulingyuan World Natural Heritage. It ranks first in the world with the three titles of "the world's highest, largest load capacity and fastest full-exposed outdoor sightseeing elevator". It is a vertical transportation from the water to the Yuanjiajie across the four gates across the cliff.

Bailong Ladder, with a vertical height difference of 335 meters and a running height of 326 meters, consists of a solid well inside the mountain and a derrick close to the mountain. There are three elevators running side by side, each of which is made of fully transparent glass. When taking the elevator, tourists can enjoy one of the most unique scenery in Zhangjiajie through the glass: the Shenshen Party.

After taking the elevator to the mountain, transfer to the scenic area transportation bus to the Yuanjiazhai Scenic Area.

According to legend, the name of the Yuan Family came from the Later Tang Dynasty. After the failure of the Huangchao Uprising, the court put up lists everywhere to arrest the rebels in order to completely eliminate the rebels. Huang Chao had a soldier named Yuan. In order to avoid capture, he came to Qingyan Mountain, a remote mountain ridge far away from the world, to live in seclusion. He built a hut here, reclaimed wasteland and grew grain, and named it after his own surname., named it "Yuan Family Realm."

Yuanjiajie is the location of "Hallelujah Mountains" in the movie "Avatar". You can explore the magical world of floating mountains and stars in the movie. If it happens that there is a light rain in the mountains, or if it clears up after the rain, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of fog and peaks. Ecstasy Terrace is an ideal viewing position. Standing on the stage, there are hundreds of stone peaks standing around it, making it majestic.

Ecstasy Terrace is the best natural viewing platform and ideal viewing position in Yuanjiajie Scenic Area. It is named because as long as you stand on the viewing platform, you will be fascinated by the beautiful scenery in front of you. Standing on the stage and looking around, hundreds of stone peaks stand quietly in the canyon, straight into the blue sky, like soldiers in an array or a gathering of sages. They are in a myriad of shapes and majestic momentum. They are orderly separated by mountains and barriers, making these stone peaks look even more crowded and spectacular. Standing on the Ecstasy Platform and overlooking the peaks, not only will your soul be fascinated, but your soul will also be lost in the canyon.

The "Qiankun Pillar" is one of the "Three Thousand Extraordinary Peaks" in Zhangjiajie. It is located at the southern end of Yuanjiajie Scenic Area, with an altitude of 1074 meters and a vertical height of about 150 meters. The vegetation on the top of the Qifeng is lush, the peak body is unique in shape, and the vertical joints are clearly cut. It stands tall in Zhangjiajie like a knife and an axe. It has the power to stand up to the sky, hence the name is Qiankun Pillar.

On January 25, 2010, the Qiankun Pillar was officially renamed "Avatar" and "Hallelujah Mountains." Personally, I think this is extremely stupid behavior, and the leader who made this decision was kicked in the brain. Only what is national is what is global. It is ridiculous to abandon its own long historical name and attempt to increase its popularity with a foreign commercial blockbuster. A few years or decades later, who will know about "Avatar"? Our descendants can't help but ask why such a strange name?

Walking to the Divine Tortoise Wishing Pond, you are halfway through the Yuanjiazhai Scenic Area.

As one of the top ten unique scenery in Zhangjiajie, the No. 1 Bridge in the World spans between two mountains and is majestic. Looking down under the bridge, you will see many strange peaks; looking around, you will see layers of independent stone peaks that will dazzle you. The No. 1 Bridge in the World has a deck width of 2 meters, a thickness of 5 meters, a span of 25 meters, and a vertical height difference of 357 meters. It is the natural self-produced stone bridge with the largest vertical height difference discovered so far in the world. It is reported that the two mountains spanned by the world's first bridge were originally connected together. Because the stone in the middle part was relatively fragile, due to the influence of weathering and collapse, it was also subjected to sun, rain, washing by running water, and raging mountain torrents. Year by year, this extraordinary spectacle is formed before our eyes.

The Tiansheng Stone Bridge is majestic and thrilling from the side, but it feels nothing when walking on the bridge.

After crossing the first bridge in the world, the Yuanjiajie Scenic Area is over. Leave the scenic area and take the scenic area shuttle bus to the parking lot.

The original plan for today was to go to Wulongzhai and Tianbo Prefecture in Yangjiajie Scenic Area, but I heard that the last shuttle bus from the scenic area departing from Wulongzhai was at 5 p.m., and it was already past 3 p.m. So I decided to change my plan and go directly to Laowuchang B & B, leaving Wulong Village and Tianbo Prefecture for tomorrow, and acting accordingly.

It feels quite far to take the shuttle bus from Tianxia No. 1 Bridge to Sancha Road Crossing Station in Dingxiangrong Village. Dingxiangrong Village used to be a cluster of B & Bs, with fierce competition and reasonable prices. There are only a few companies left that have been "rectified" now, and there are doubts about whether they can be preserved in the end. In the future, the scenic spot operators will dominate the world. If you want to stay on the mountain, you will have to spend a lot of money.

On the way to the bus, I called the owner of the B & B. After getting off at Sancha Road Crossing Station, the B & B van was already waiting for us. The driver was the boss's father, who was in his fifties and looked like a strong middle-aged man in his early thirties. It may be the result of the water, soil, air and years of exercise on the mountains. He first took us to Daguan Terrace.

"Daguan Terrace" is one of the four wonders of Zhangjiajie (sunrise, peak forest, winter snow, fog sea). It is a viewing point for the sunrise. There are also scenic spots such as "Divine Chicken Pecking","Difficult to Walk in One Step","Son of Heaven" and "Xianren Bridge". But to walk from the parking lot to the scenic spots, we had to go down more than 600 steps first. We had been walking for most of the day and had sore backs and legs. We were scared, so we looked up at the canyon.

Leave Daguantai and head to Laowuchang, our place of accommodation for tonight.

Laowuchang is located at the western foot of Tianzi Mountain opposite the "Hundred Dragons Ladder", facing the "Hundred Dragons Ladder" across the canyon. This is a place that no scenic area can reach by environmentally friendly cars. It takes two hours to walk. The only way to book a B & B in Laowuchang, which will send a car to pick you up, and then contact the local tour guide and ask a black car to take you in.

The road around the mountain from Sancha Road Crossing to Laowuchang was once a bumpy gravel road. In 2019, a company converted it into an asphalt road and started a battery car business to pick up and drop tourists. There is an additional charge. But the good times didn't last long, and I didn't know what case it was involved in and was stopped. Rows of battery cars were parked in the parking lot and allowed to be beaten by the wind and rain. However, the roads are preserved, which makes it cheaper for us tourists. According to travel notes written by tourists who have been here before, it is said that the road conditions are extremely poor. The cars are bumpy quite hard along the way. There are often huge rocks and broken soil piled up on the roadside. Once a car comes in the face, it will be very difficult to give way and dangerous.

It was late and the fog was heavy, so I didn't go to the attractions, but drove straight to the B & B.

There is a small village with the same name in Laowuchang. Before the development of tourism, it relied on farmland reclaimed in the mountains, hunting, and picking medicines for a living, and lived an isolated, miserable but peaceful life. The boss's father said that before the traffic was open to traffic, it took three days to walk out of the mountains and sleep outdoors for two nights in the mountains and forests.

Dinner is 40 yuan per person, with my own chickens, eggs, vegetables, cured bacon, and wild vegetables picked from the mountains.

The only shortcoming is that the bathroom in the room is a squatting pit, which is a test for us elderly people.

Below are some additional photos of Yuan Jiajie, taken on a mobile phone. When the light is not good, the mobile phone takes pictures better than the camera.

The following is Laowuchang

to be continued