Hi FT,

I have recently returned from a visit to Zhangjiajie.

The weather was quite nice, figure 7-15C, and the town in the immediate vicinity of the national park’s entrance - the Wulingyuan scenic area - had plenty of lodging and eating options (even if the latter was basically the same menu throughout).

From DYG (Zhangjiajie) airport, I took the 401 bus towards downtown Zhangjiajie city. From there, I walked to the bus station, where I boarded an hourlong minibus (very frequent) to Wulingyuan).

In all, the scenery was great, but the crowds were...typically “local.” If you want to avoid the crowds, just take the steps (that is, leave the most famous photo spots, and start hiking). Drink/snack options appeared just in time.