I started this thread on the Tiger Leaping Gorge (TLG or Hutiaoxia 虎跳峡) as I recognize it may be a destination many (adventurous) tourists may want to go to and thus worthwhile to create it's own thread. I do however want to give much credit to jiejie who inspired my trip to the TLG and quite frankly provided a ton of excellent info. As such, much of the information in this thread is built from her contributions so I wanted to thank her and encourage all of you to read about her adventures in Yunnan.

First off, most important links:
Jiejie's Excellent Sichuan and Yunnan Adventure
Wiki Travel
Maps

Travel/Getting there:
The biggest cities near the TLG are either Lijiang or Shangri-La. To get to Lijiang or Shangri-la, please refer to jiejie's thread or wiki. There are many ways to get to the TLG, but I'll cover from Lijiang airport to the TLG.
1. Lijiang airport to downtown Lijiang: Easiest is to take the airport bus that leaves every 30 min from outside of the baggage claim. Cost as of early 2014 was 20 RMB paid when you board. Skip the cabbies (or black cabbies) that want you to ride their bus. First bus 630am, last bus 930pm. Ride takes 40 min and drops you off at the Blue Sky Hotel （蓝天酒店）at the intersection of Fuhui Rd (福慧路) and Shangri-La Ave (香格里大道）, about 10 min walk to Old town.
2. Lijiang downtown to Qiaotou (桥头）: From Lijiang, there are a couple of options. Jiejie covers the options in her post, but my suggestion is to take a bus from one of the four long distance bus stations (see link for addresses) called Keyunzhan (客运站). All of them will work, but you want to get a bus ticket to Qiaotou but in reality you'll be riding the bus to Shangri-la (香格里拉）and getting off at Qiaotou. Bus ticket is 45 RMB. Make sure you tell your bus drive you are going to Qiaotou, as they often won't have passengers to pick up in Qiaotou and won't stop unless you tell the driver. Takes about 2-2.5 hours. Also note, Google maps calls Qiaotouzhen (zhen 镇 is town in Chinese) Hutiaoxiaozhen (虎跳峡镇), or "The town of the TLG". If going straight from the airport to TLG, you can simply walk north on Shangri-la Ave about 300m after getting off the airport bus, and you'll run into one of the four long-distance bus stations (Gaokuai 丽江高快客运站）. Buses to Shangri-la depart at 0820/0930/1030/1300/1430/1530 and stop at the main long distance bus station to pick up more passengers before heading to Shangri-La. Remember, tickets will have assigned seat but feel free to sit anywhere, the station fills seats up from the front.

Alternatively you can arrange directly with a guesthouse (GH) in the TLG, I suggest if you do this you arrange with Tina's. Bus is 55 RMB I believe, and leaves at 0730 from the Old Town. You must arrange in advance, and call to get exact pickup location.

How to see the TLG:
For options on how to see the TLG, refer to jiejie's post for options. You essentially have the high (hiking) trail, the lower (road) trail, and the very short road on the south side of the river where some toursits go. If you want minimal hassle - then arrange in advance with one of the Guest Houses along the trail. The wiki thread honestly is your best source for guest house info. I highly suggest hiking the entire trail though - it honestly has been one of the best outdoor experiences I've had in China. You can essentially hike from Qiaotou to the end of the TLG (Walnut Garden) in about 10 hours (spread over how many days you want). Therefore, the rest of my info for the first two posts will be focused on hiking the trail from Qiaotou to Walnut Garden.

From Qiaotou:
Once you get off the bus to Shangri-La likely you'll get some hawker offering you to take their shuttle. If you're not interested tell them so but feel free to ask them for directions too. They often are glad to help. The town is pretty small and you'll likely get dropped off in the middle of the town. Feel free to load up on food/drinks here. But, to hike to the entrance of the TLG simply walk north (direction the bus was heading to Shangri-La) and look for the road sign to TLG. Their should be a sharp right turn and slightly heads uphill. Make that right and walk about 5 minutes til you reach the ticket office on your right side. Buy your entrance ticket here (they will check at the gate). Next to the ticket office is a nice supermarket if you need supplies still. Go through the gate and walk down the road. You'll pass by a school and keep going passing Jane's Guesthouse. About 1km past the school entrance there will be a paved road that breaks to the left. Look for the blue/yellow signs or painted signs and follow the arrows. At this point you should see the TLG Guesthouse marking the start of the hiking trail. Wiki has a good description about the start of the trail, but you really can't miss it.

The Hike:
The start until you essentially reach Tina's is considered the Upper TLG (上虎跳峡). The first few km of the trail really follows a paved road/series of driveways that the local farmers use to get to their houses. Make sure to yield to the speeding trucks that will inevitably fly by you as they honk their horn. But enjoy the views as you gain elevation (trail/road does a series of switchbacks) and the mountains come into view. Shortly though, the trail turns to a dirt path and you'll feel more with nature.

Around where the trail turns from pavement to dirt, there are a few buildings where local folks likely will charge you to take some pictures or try to sell you Snickers/water or a horse ride. If you are there in off-peak season likely no one will be there to bother you though, so just keep hiking. Once you reach the dirt trail the path is relatively flat until you reach the Naxi Guest House.

My itinerary had me landing at Lijiang Airport around 1130am. I took the airport bus to Lijiang and hopped on the 1430 bus to Shangrila. Got off in Qiaotou at 1645 and was able to make the Naxi Guesthouse by around 1830 in time before it got dark.

After leaving the Naxi GH, you begin your ascent and climb up the 28 bends (二十八拐）to the "peak" (山顶）. Where the 28 bends actually starts is a bit ambiguous, but this will be the crux of the hike. You'll gain some 730m (2400') of elevation and then quickly lose it again. But the views on the way up and down are definitely worth it. Near the top there will be another viewing area (8 RMB, but free off peak as no one is there) where you'll be able to see all the way down to the river and the Upper TLG. To reach the top takes probably around 2 hours from the Naxi GH.

Past the 28 bends you'll descend down to the the Tea Horse GH (1 hr past the peak) and then the Halfway GH. The next section is very scenic with the massive cliffs of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain（玉龙雪山) looming over you, and to your left is Haba Mountain (哈巴雪山). Continue along the very scenic trail (which over time gets less scenic as the electrical wires and pipes appear) for about another 2 hours until you reach a fork, and follow the signs down to Tina's (right) unless you're hiking to Haba. The hike down, while not steep, is a bit tricky so be careful if the trail is wet. Once you reach Tina's you essentially hit the main road ("Low Road"). And you can hike the road to get to Sean's or the Walnut Garden.

I stayed at Sean's, so a short 30 walk down the road got us there. After spending the night there, we followed the instructions of the owner across the street to the trail from the Walnut Garden to the Middle TLG. This is a beautiful section of the trail, and like the past day and a half didn't see anyone else. You get great views of the cliffs on the far side of the river and the gorge/river slowly come into view. From Sean's you can reach the Ray of Sunshine area in about 1-1.5 hours where you will be asked to cough up 10 RMB to pass (see fees below). After about 5-10 minutes of hiking, you cross the trail to the Heavenly Ladder area and are required to pay another 10 RMB fee (but this gives you access to climb the ladder).

From here, you can descend to the gorge for pictures (where many viewing spots exist where they charge 5 RMB), but you can definitely find your spots for pictures if you won't want to pay. You can essentially walk as far as the furthest platform, but if you want to continue up that trail you'll have to shell out another 10 RMB if you want to take this path up. This path would take likely around 45min to 1 hour to ascend to the road.

We opted for the Heavenly Ladder path which takes 1-1.5 hours to climb. The ladder itself is about a 30m ladder that is made of metal, but the structure is somewhat dubious. I climbed it of course, but my nervousness wasn't from height as much as from fear the thing would fall over. It did seems solid however and worth the climb. Not for those who fear heights though. After the ladder you have to climb a steep trail, but there are plenty of spots on the trail where locals have built a small hut for you to rest (and buy their stuff) in. You can also rent a horse along the trail if you're too tired - costs anywhere from 50-200 RMB (negotiable).

Once you climb all the way up, you reach the Middle TLG GH which is only a 5 min walk across the road bridge to Tina's. From there you can catch a bus back to Lijiang or explore the area further.

When to go:
If you enjoy warm weather, go in the summer but you also risk rain (May-Sept). Avoid Chinese New Year (CNY) and major holidays for sure. I highly recommend off peak season. I went about 2.5 weeks after CNY in mid Feb, and it was very quiet (no crowds and more peaceful), you could get your pick of rooms, yet there still was people on the trail to make travel buddies. In the end, it's up to you.

Where to stay:
You can obviously do a quick day trip and avoid hiking to see the TLG, but IMO you're missing out on most of the gorge. Hence I highly suggest hiking the gorge, which can be done as quickly as 1 day but more comfortably in 2-3. Staying at the local guesthouses was one of the most charming parts of the experience, and accommodation was safe, cheap, and comfortable. These are no Hilton's however. Beds are typically old wooden frames with a beat up mattress and heating pad on top. But blankets/sheets are provided and everything is pretty clean. Toilet facilities are on the primitive side - the western ones (eg Sean's or Tina's) have sit toilets but most have squat toilets. Most all have "showers" and can also do laundry if you ask. All of them serve food (breakfast, lunch if passing through, and dinner) and prices are reasonable. In peak summer season advance reservations are recommended, in down season completely not necessary. Since my trip was in Feb, I walked up to the Naxi GH and got a room with two beds to myself for 30 RMB, and Sean's for 40 RMB. Tina's is always crowded with folks, and most likely to see other foreigners.

Food:
Advisable to bring snacks while you hike. I would load up in Qiaotou or Lijiang, but you can buy snacks along the trail (fruit, water, Snickers) from the locals that camp out and sell stuff. You can also buy small snacks at the guesthouses, but don't rely on them for selection and dirt cheap prices. For breakfast and dinners, definitely eat at the guesthouses. Most guesthouses have a mixture of local, Chinese, and western foods - so you should be able to find whatever you like. Most have cheap beer and juices in addition to tea, and they always have a big thermos of boiling water (kaishui 开水) if you want to fill up. Food at the guesthouses along the trail are cheapest (30-40 RMB for dinner/breakfast, beer is about 10-20 RMB/bottle). Once you get near the road near the Walnut Garden (Middle TLG) it gets slightly more expensive (eg Tina's or Sean's). Dinner is probably 40 RMB-60 RMB there, but still cheap by western standards. Don't forget that as you hike during the day, you can stop at the guesthouses and have food made for you. At one of them we ordered some fried eggs and the owner went to the chicken pen to fetch some of the freshest eggs I've ever had!

Getting back:
From the Walnut Garden or Heavenly ladder area, you can arrange a bus from Tina's (which almost always has a daily shuttle) to at least Lijiang. Bus leaves at 1530 and it is highly recommended to book (and pay) in advance. The also run shuttles to Shangri-la that leave at 1530, but they don't always run if they can't fill it. If you need to get to Shangri-la, they'll arrange a shuttle to Qiaotou and you can hop on one of the long-distance buses going to Shangri-la. Tickets to Lijiang are 55 RMB, Qiaotou 25 RMB.

Altitude Sickness:
You shouldn't get anything severe like HAPE or HACE (risk is a lot higher at Jade Dragon Snow Mountain), but hiking here will affect you a little. Most of the trail is around 2700m (8800 ft) but doesn't really go much higher. If come from Sea Level, if you are sensitive to altitude changes either take it easy or stay a few days in Lijiang first.

Weather:
I can't really comment on summer, but in the winter (Feb) wiki was spot on. During the day of sunny you probably could wear shorts and maybe a t-shirt too if nice enough. But by evening I had long pants, jacket, and hat. Night time temps are probably just above 0C (32F), day time temps around 10C or 50F. Summer is known to be the rainy season, so I would avoid this due to poor hiking weather and risk of rockslides/power outtages.

Things you'll need to bring:
1. Headlamp - most of the guesthouses are in small villages and they don't always have electricity as storms or winds can take down powerlines. When I was there they only had electricity when they ran generators for 1 hour at night and 1 hour in the AM.
2. TP - ensure you bring your own TP. You probably can buy some along the trail at the guesthouses, but always a wise thing to bring
3. Towel/soap/shampoo. Many guesthouses have "showers", and some provide towels. Most do not so bring your own stuff. Taking hotel shampoo bottles along is very handy.
4. Camera - this should be a no brainer.
5. Extra clothes - this is the mountains, so weather can turn on a dime
6. Thermos/hot drinks - most guesthouses have boiling water so consider bringing a thermos and some hot drinks (tea, coffee, hot chocolate etc).
7. Cash - don't expect to get cash except for at Lijiang and Shangri-la. Rumor has it that there are some ATM's in Qiaotou, but don't count on it
8. Your passport - most guesthouses won't ask for this, but some definitely do as technically they are supposed to record who stays there and report that to the police

Leave at home:
1. Computer. While most guesthouses will have wifi, don't count on it. No need to really lug a computer around. Many of the guesthouses at the beginning (Qiaotou) and end (Walnut Garden) will store bags for you, so leave it and enjoy the hike
2. Water bottle - like most places in China there isn't a place to fill up with water that's safe. Guesthouses all sell bottled water or locals sell it along the trail.

Everything you need to know about fees:
Other than transportation (buses or horse/pony rentals), food, and housing the only true fee is the 65 RMB park admission fee. You should not need the Old Town Preservation Fee (OTPF or 丽江古城维护费）at the TLG. You will find plenty of hawkers on the trail trying to get you to pay to take pictures at certain spots along the trail or they'll be selling water/food/snacks. However, only below the road in the Middle TLG section will you find people collecting extra fees year round, in low season it is doubtful you'll find anyone on the upper trail taking fees.

Now that being said, it is important to cover the fees in the Middle Tiger Leaping Gorge (中虎跳峡) as this is the most annoying part and frustrating for folks. What happens here is you have locals that camp along the trail and will insist you pay them a fee because the government that collects the 65 RMB entrance fee does not give them any part of that. And since the locals maintain the trails along the Middle TLG they want to be paid for that. Honestly I don't know the truth, and even many visiting Chinese feel like it's a scam. But I simply suggest you just prepare yourself for these fees and to not even worry if they are really bogus or not. There are essentially three paths down to the TLG: (1) the most western one is just east of Tina's along the road (ask Tina's how to get there), (2) central one that leads to the Heavenly Ladder is to the east of Tina's - cross the bridge and the path begins right at the first hostel on your right, and (3) the most eastern one starts just below Sean's GH in the Walnut Garden (核桃园）. So here are the fees:

- In the Middle Tiger leaping gorge, to descend and ascend from the Heavenly ladder you must pay 10 RMB. Once you read the Middle gorge area, you can mostly wander along the river. But go to the end of the viewing platforms towards the west you'll be asked to pay 10 RMB (which will give you access to the most western path) or if you wander probably only 50m to the east of where the Heavenly/Sky ladder trail (天梯) meets the trail at the base of the gorge, you'll have to pay another 10 RMB (gives you access to the trail to the Walnut Garden (or coming from Walnut Garden to see the TLG you'll have to pay 10 RMB here, and another 10 RMB to cross where the Heavenly Ladder trail intersects). This area is called the Ray of Sunshine (一线天)
- Every viewing platform/bridge in the Middle TLG charges around 5-10 RMB as well, so either pay up but you really don't need to. You can get great pictures from the trail or just to the sides of the viewing platforms.

Tip: For the 10 RMB fees for Ray of Sunshine, Heavenly Ladder, or the most Western trail to the road, make sure you ask for a receipt to show to the locals at the road-side of the trail (or bottom side if paying on top).