Avatar Mountains at a glance
"Avatar Mountains" is the common English name for the Yuanjiajie (袋家界, Yuánjiājiè) viewpoint area inside Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, part of the UNESCO Wulingyuan area. In January 2010, local authorities renamed one of its pillars — the 1,080-meter Southern Sky Column (南天一柱, Nán Tiān Yī Zhù) — "Avatar Hallelujah Mountain" (阿凡达·哈利路亚山) after James Cameron's 2009 film Avatar. The film's floating "Hallelujah Mountains" were computer-generated, not filmed on location, and Cameron and his production designers have said the visuals drew on several real-world landscapes — including Huangshan and Guilin as well as Zhangjiajie — rather than this pillar alone. Zhangjiajie's tourism authorities have promoted the connection heavily since the renaming, which is worth knowing before you treat every claim about the film at face value.
- Location: Yuanjiajie (袋家界), a plateau inside Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
- Renamed pillar: Southern Sky Column (南天一柱) -> Avatar Hallelujah Mountain (阿凡达·哈利路亚山), January 2010
- Film connection: Associated with, and said to have informed, the floating mountains in Avatar (2009) — the film itself was computer-generated
- Ticket: Covered by the same National Forest Park/Wulingyuan admission — no separate ticket for this viewpoint
- How to reach it: Bailong Elevator from the valley floor, or a shuttle bus plus a hiking trail
- Nearby natural feature: First Bridge Under Heaven (天下第一桥, Tiānxià Dì Yī Qiáo), a natural stone arch in the same area
What to see at Yuanjiajie
Most visitors move between a handful of viewing platforms across the Yuanjiajie plateau, each showing the pillar forest from a different angle. The Hallelujah Mountain viewpoint itself, an overlook commonly called Enchanting Terrace (迷魂台, Míhún Tái), and the First Bridge Under Heaven are the three most commonly visited stops.
- Full National Forest Park & Wulingyuan guide
- Plan Avatar Mountains into a day-by-day itinerary
- Check the best season for clear pillar views
- Confirm the Bailong Elevator's current operating hours and any queue-management rules with the official ticket office before you plan a tight schedule.
Yuanjiajie viewpoints compared
None of these viewpoints require a separate ticket from the National Forest Park entry — they're stops along the Yuanjiajie plateau, not individually gated attractions.
| Viewpoint | What you see | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Avatar Hallelujah Mountain overlook | The renamed Southern Sky Column pillar and the surrounding pillar forest | The single most-photographed view in the area |
| Enchanting Terrace (迷魂台) | A wide platform looking across multiple pillars and valleys | A broader sense of scale than any single-pillar view |
| First Bridge Under Heaven (天下第一桥) | A natural stone arch spanning two peaks | Visitors who want a distinct natural feature, not just pillar views |
Common mistakes at the Avatar Mountains
Assuming Avatar was filmed here
Avatar's floating mountains were entirely computer-generated. Zhangjiajie's scenery is associated with the visual concept, and local marketing leans into that heavily, but no footage was shot on location at Yuanjiajie.
Treating it as a separate ticketed park
The Avatar Mountains viewpoint is a zone inside Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, covered by the same entry ticket — not a stand-alone attraction with its own gate.
Visiting with zero weather flexibility
Mist and low cloud can reduce visibility to near zero at Yuanjiajie, particularly outside the drier autumn months. A rigid single-visit plan with no buffer day is the most common source of disappointment.
Skipping the elevator queue-time consideration
The Bailong Elevator is a popular access point and can have long waits during peak season and Chinese public holidays. Build in extra time or ask about alternate access routes.
Avatar Mountains FAQ
- No. The film's floating mountains were computer-generated, not shot on location. Cameron and his production team have said several real landscapes — including Huangshan and Guilin as well as Zhangjiajie — informed the visual concept.
- In January 2010, following the film's global success, local authorities officially renamed the Southern Sky Column pillar 'Avatar Hallelujah Mountain' as a tourism promotion, building on the claimed connection to the film's floating peaks.
- No. It's part of Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, so the standard park entry covers it — there's no additional admission for this specific viewpoint.
- Most visitors ride the Bailong Elevator from the valley floor up to the Yuanjiajie plateau, or take a shuttle bus combined with a hiking trail. Confirm current routes with the park's ticket office.
- Yes — the pillar-forest scenery is one of Zhangjiajie's most distinctive natural sights on its own, independent of the film connection.
See the Avatar Mountains without the guesswork
A private National Forest Park tour routes you directly to the Yuanjiajie viewpoints, including the renamed Avatar Hallelujah Mountain pillar, without you having to work out shuttle transfers on your own.
Book the National Forest Park tourAsk about the best viewpoints for your dates
Sources and review
This page hedges the Avatar connection deliberately: the film was computer-generated, and filmmakers cited multiple real-world landscapes as inspiration, not Zhangjiajie alone. Confirm current elevator hours and access routes with the official ticket office before you travel.
- UNESCO World Heritage List — Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area — https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/640
- Article last reviewed: August 2026.