The Zhangjiajie Forest is located in the Zhangjiajie National Forest Park in Hunan Province, China. It is one of several national parks within the Wulingyuan Scenic Area.

The forest has notable quartzite sandstone pillars, which are the result of physical erosion rather than chemical. Most of the weathering that forms these pillars is the result of expanding ice in the winter and the plants that grow on them, over millions of years. The weather is moist year-round, and as a result, the foliage is very dense.

These formations are a distinct hallmark of the Chinese landscape, and can be found in many ancient Chinese paintings.

There are roughly 3,000 pillars in the area, with the tallest being Huang Shi Zhai, which stands at 3,450 feet (1,050 m). It can be accessed via cable car or a set of stairs.

One of the pillars is accessible via the Bailong Elevator, literally "hundred dragons sky lift". It reaches the top of the pillar which is 326 m (1,070 ft), and is the world's tallest outdoor lift. It can transport visitors to the top from its foot in less than two minutes. The structure is composed of three separate glass elevators, each of which can carry up to 50 people at a time.

In 1982, the park was recognized as China's first national forest park with an area of 4,810 ha (11,900 acres). In 1992, Wulingyuan was officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was then approved by the Ministry of Land and Resources as Zhangjiajie Sandstone Peak Forest National Geopark (3,600 km (1,400 sq mi)) in 2001. In 2004, Zhangjiajie geopark was listed as a UNESCO global geopark.

Additionally, this is one of the landscapes which served as inspiration for the famous film "Avatar", representing a natural and lush alien world.