Use separate days for the park, Tianmen Mountain, and transfers. Starting early matters, but trying to combine every cable car and viewpoint in one day usually weakens the experience.
Let weather decide the order
Mist can be part of the landscape rather than a failure. Keep the most weather-dependent plan flexible until the night before.
Respect vertical travel time
Queues, lifts, buses, and walking all add up. A route that looks compact on a visitor map can still be physically demanding.