Three separate glass skywalks bolted to the cliff face of Tianmen Mountain at the summit ridge. Coiling Dragon Cliff Skywalk (盘龙崖) is the longest at 100m; the other two are 60m each. Glass surface only on a strip down the middle — solid metal walkway on both sides if you can't handle the transparency. Foot covers required (¥5 deposit, refundable). Photo trick: look DOWN through the glass for vertigo shots, look OUT through the gap between cliff and glass railing for landscape shots. Closes in lightning storms. Most foreigners walk all three; allow 90 minutes total including queuing for foot covers.
Address
Tianmen Mountain summit cliff path
张家界市永定区天门山顶
Highlights
- Coiling Dragon Cliff (盘龙崖)100m — the longest of three glass sections
- 1,400m elevationSame altitude as the Tianmen Cave + cable car summit
- Foot covers required¥5 deposit at entry; protects glass from scratches
What Chinese travelers actually do here
Distilled from Chinese-language travel notes — the practical tips most English guides miss.
- ▸The three sections aren't adjacent — they're spread around the 7km summit ridge walk. Coiling Dragon Cliff is the headliner on the East Line; the other two are on the West Line. If you only do East Line you'll only see one section.
- ▸Glass is cleaned daily at 6 AM before park opens, so morning visits get crystal-clear views straight through. By 4 PM hand prints and foot scuffs visible everywhere, photos lose impact.
- ▸Skywalk closes during lightning storms and high winds (>60 km/h). Check the weather app and the official Tianmen Mountain WeChat account before committing — they post real-time closure updates. Refunds are not given for weather closures.
- ▸The 'iconic vertigo photo' is shot from BELOW the walkway looking up — you'll see the photographer standing on a metal grate at the cliff edge, NOT on the glass itself. Most foreigners shoot from on top looking down (less dramatic). For the bottom-up shot, descend the staircase 30m past the entrance.
- ▸Bring a fleece or windbreaker. Tianmen summit is 1,400m elevation — even in summer, temperatures here are 8-12°C cooler than Zhangjiajie city, and the cliff-edge wind makes it feel colder. Locals laugh at foreigners arriving in t-shirts in October.
- ▸Don't combine the skywalk with the 999 steps to Tianmen Cave the same day. Your legs will be done. Spread Tianmen Mountain across 2 days, or do skywalk in afternoon AFTER cave climb in the morning.
For foreign visitors
- English service: partial english
- Cards accepted: cash_only
- Booking / entry: not needed
- Best time: Clear afternoon for visibility through glass
- Wi-Fi: free
- Transit access: metro direct
Photos
What travelers say (14 reviews)
Videos
Frequently asked questions about Tianmen Glass Skywalk
- How is this different from Zhangjiajie Glass Bridge?
- Two completely different attractions: the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon Glass Bridge is a 430m horizontal span ACROSS a canyon at 300m height; the Tianmen Glass Skywalk is three short (60-100m) sections of walkway BOLTED to a cliff face at 1,400m elevation. The Glass Bridge feels exposed in the middle (you're floating); the Skywalk feels exposed on one side (you're hugging rock). If you only do one, do the Tianmen Skywalk — better views and less queueing.
- Do all three glass sections cost extra?
- Coiling Dragon Cliff (the 100m main section) is included in the Tianmen Mountain combo ticket. The other two shorter sections charge ¥5 each for foot covers (refundable as a deposit). Tickets aren't sold separately — you can't skip Tianmen Mountain and just do the skywalk.
- Is the glass slippery? Are foot covers required?
- Foot covers (¥5 deposit, refundable) are mandatory — they protect the glass from shoe scratches and improve grip. Without them you'll be denied entry. The covers are cheap fabric booties that pull over your shoes. They're surprisingly slippery on the metal sides of the walkway, so don't run.
- How crowded is the Glass Skywalk?
- Coiling Dragon Cliff (the long section) has 20-40 min queues on average days, 60-90 min on Saturdays and Chinese national holidays. Arrive at 8 AM when Tianmen Mountain opens to skip the worst queues. The two shorter sections rarely queue more than 10 min.
- What if I have severe vertigo?
- Walk on the SOLID metal walkway strips along both sides — only the central section is transparent glass. From the metal you can still see the views but not look straight down. About 30% of foreign visitors do this. Avoid looking down at any point — the 1,400m drop is genuinely steep.
