Rising movie stars

On such a clear day, this dizzying vertical view to ground level breaks the illusion that made these quartzite towers world famous. More than 3,000 of them ascend to heights of up to 600 feet here at the Wulingyuan scenic area in China's Zhangjiajie National Forest Park. When mists gather over the tree canopy and obscure the base of the pillars, their tops almost appear to float in midair. The seemingly suspended summits served as inspiration for director James Cameron, who used images of Wulingyuan to create the floating mountains from his film 'Avatar.'