What is the Pledge for the Wild?

The Pledge for the Wild is a group of mountain towns supporting responsible tourism in wild places.

Leading outdoor communities are coming together to collectively stoke the responsible tourism conversation and build awareness around opportunities to directly give back to the wild places in these iconic mountain towns. Whether you’re traveling through or frequenting your favorite local adventure spots, we encourage you to take pause and consider who supports and cares for these wild places day-to-day. Each founding community is the home of dozens, if not hundreds, of nonprofits, conservation groups, and land managers to maintain and preserve these wild places so they can be enjoyed on your next visit, next year, and in the next decade and beyond.

Pledge for the Wild is proactively sharing outdoor principles and responsible tourism tips while creating a direct channel to give back locally through online donation or text-to-donate.  Each donation is sent directly to the community non-profit partner of choice. For the Sun Valley area, the Blaine County Recreation District is the recipient of these funds.

To help us in protecting our open spaces, we've established a way to donate to the cause. This can be done by texting WILD4SUNVALLEY to 44321 or clicking below.

Donate Here

Welcome to Sun Valley, Idaho

Welcome to Sun Valley, Idaho. This is a place with a laid-back and easy-going vibe. It's a FOMO-free zone that's born from its lack of crowds, lineups or wait times, from its massive expanses of wilderness and quiet trails and from its long sunny days and star-filled nights. It's this easy-going attitude that has created a community that is missing the hype and competition of other mountain towns. A place to unwind, where the pace of life slows down and the opportunity to live in the moment becomes real. It’s what we’re made of.

Sun Valley, Idaho is situated at the edge of the largest swath of contiguous wilderness in the lower 48. The Sawtooth, Smoky, Boulder, White Cloud, and Pioneer Mountains surround the area and funnel water to plethora of renown fisheries including the Big Wood, Lost & Salmon Rivers along with the Silver Creek Preserve.

At the eastern edge of this high-desert location lies the out of this world landscape of Craters of the Moon National Monument. It's an unreal experience where lava tube caves and cinder cone formations starkly contrast the otherwise rolling desert sage terrain.

The secluded nature of Sun Valley has rewarded it with an inclusion to the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve which is the only one of its kind in the United States. It’s an incredible stargazing experience for the seasoned astronomers and every day visitors alike.

We invite you to embrace this spirit and savor the outdoor offerings we have during your stay.

The Sun Valley Pledge

In addition to the collective Pledge for the Wild to protect our open spaces, we invite you to be considerate of our own oath of conduct. We're not here to tell you what to do but rather invite you to be mindful in maintaining the special sauce that makes this place so special.

Embrace
  • Embrace the Pace: It may be slower and more laid-back. Enjoy it!
  • Embrace the Locals: they have insider scoop can lead you to some amazing experiences.
  • Embrace the History & Culture Immerse yourself in the foundations that set this mountain town scene.
Preserve
  • Help us to preserve the open spaces and access that we so freely have access to.
  • You have the opportunity to leave this place better than you found it. Embrace the concept of "leaving no trace."
Respect
  • Respect the wildlife and their boundaries. Relish in their wildness and presence and know that they're in charge.
  • Respect the elements. Temperature swings and weather patterns can shift drastically.
  • Respect trail closures, they’re put in place to maintain the integrity.
Be Mindful
  • Be mindful of the impacts of your actions. Think of this place as your own home and how you might behave in your own neck of the woods.
  • Be mindful of tagging social photos responsibly.
  • Be mindful of other people, they space, their perspective, their abilities. We're all out there for the same basic reason, to enjoy the outdoors.
Plan Ahead and Be Prepared
  • The weather can change on a dime here in the mountains. Being prepared for the elements  can make or break your day out exploring.
  • Know where you’re headed. Cell service can be spotty at times and trail markings are not always present. Know your routes to ensure a safe return. Great mapping resources that allow you to download information offline includes Gaia & OnX.
Enjoy Yourself!
  • Life shouldn't be taken so seriously. Enjoy your time here. Really taste the food, smell the air, soak in the scenery and live in the moment!
Have the Knowledge
  • Knowledge is power. We have compiled a few resources to help you prepare for your adventures, to stay out of trouble, and to maximize you experience.

Additional resources can be found on our  Mindfulness in the Mountain page as well as on most of our various things to do pages.

Think you can commit to the recommendations to keep Sun Valley special? 

#SunVALLEYPLEDGE

Contribute to Preserving Sun Valley's Wild Places

To help us to preserve these incredible wild places and the amazing access that we have to them we have setup a way to contribute to the cause. To donate to the Blaine County Recreation District, the nonprofit supporting Sun Valley’s wild places, click the button below or text: WILD4SUNVALLEY to 44321.

DONATE HERE
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