This attraction introduction is compiled from historical materials in the "Zhangjiajie Tour Guide Network" (33519.com · Scenic Spots section). Ticket prices, opening hours, transportation, and contact information mentioned in the text may be outdated. Please refer to the latest official announcements from the scenic area before traveling; some content consists of historical background/cultural introductions and is for reference only.
One Step to Heaven is the highest peak in the Yangjiajie Scenic Area, at an altitude of 1,130 meters. Visitors can enter from the Yangjiajie ticket station and climb to the summit via Balipo, or after touring nearby attractions, take the eco-friendly bus and get off at Wulongzhai Station, then walk for about 40 minutes to reach the junction where the direction to One Step to Heaven meets the direction to Balipo. Follow the road on the left for about 1 hour to reach One Step to Heaven, and continue forward for 30 minutes to reach the Sky Corridor. There are 32 iron steps to climb to the summit. The summit is flat, 5 meters long and 4 meters wide, enclosed by iron railings. On the platform there are more than 20 gnarled pine trees, either standing on the platform top or hanging upside down from the cliff. Looking east from the platform, seven screen-like peaks are clearly layered. To the southeast, Huangshizhai and Longfengya can be seen. The peaks to the southwest are nearby, with lush trees. To the west, looking toward Zhonghu, the scenery has many layers. The first layer consists of two short, flat prismatic stone pillars; the second layer consists of three stone peaks, one of which looks like a person holding a child, with the child rubbing its eyes with its hands, the middle one looks like a pair of lovers embracing, and the other should be like a large screen. To the south, a stone peak is large at the top and small at the bottom, resembling a wooden club.
Wulingyuan never lacks perilous peaks and strange cliffs, but each has its own merits and is never identical. One Step to Heaven is just such a highly “individualistic” strange peak. The mountain is steep, and it is difficult to reach the top barehanded. Visitors need to use the tiered iron ladders, climbing slowly with both hands and feet. When you have stepped over the last ladder and reached the summit, you see a flat open area with ancient pines and mixed trees, and railings to lean on. Suddenly your heart and mind open wide, and you truly have the feeling of “one step to heaven.”
Leaning on the railing and looking around, the peaks stand in attendance in a hundred poses and a thousand forms, all very close at hand. When the weather is clear and bright, the joints of the mountain rocks and the ancient pines and trees can be faintly distinguished. In appreciating strange peaks and high ridges, perhaps because we can only view them from afar, or because, being within Mount Lu, it is hard to know its true face, One Step to Heaven can give you a chance to savor them in detail. Looking back at the Yangjiajie you have passed through, layer upon layer of ridges and peaks are rich and subdued in proper measure. Gazing into the distance, Huangshizhai, Zhangjiajie... appear indistinctly, with beauty that is a feast for the eyes.
