Every spring, the Sun Valley, Idaho area transforms from a skiing and snowboarding Mecca into a lush, wildflower-filled valley with miles of hiking and biking trails in the surrounding five mountain ranges. From mellow loops skirting lakes and rivers, to 12,000-foot rocky mountain peaks, there are plenty of hiking trails to please all levels of hikers throughout Hailey, Ketchum, Sun Valley and beyond.
Local Beta for Planning Your Ski Trip to Sun Valley
If powdery slopes and mountain living is just what the doctor ordered, look no further than a trip to Sun Valley. With luxurious accommodations, perfect grooming, plentiful après activities, and unique off-mountain experiences, Sun Valley has everything you need to make it a weekend to remember.
What We’re Made of: Sun Valley Mustard
written by Hayden Seder Whether you’re new to Ketchum or have been here for years, chances are you’ve come across an iconic glass jar of Sun Valley Mustard. One of the longest running local brands in the area, Sun Valley Mustard (SVM) has been operating for over forty years, switching hands five times in the brand’s lifetime. Its latest trio of owners have invigorated new life into SVM, while simultaneously tapping into the brand’s original ethos, creating a blend of old-school Ketchum vibes with new marketing, products, and innovation. Sun Valley Mustard’s History SVM started as a hobby for local Lois Allison, who had a delicious multigenerational family recipe that friends and family couldn’t get enough of. They encouraged her to jar her mustard, which she did, originally simply calling it “Lois’s Mustard.” Eventually demand required her to ramp up her production of mustard, and in 1984, she opened her first mustard “factory” in a small room in the Colonnade Building in Ketchum and changed the name to Sun Valley Mustard, turning her hobby into a true entrepreneurial endeavor and changing the face of condiments in Sun Valley forever. Over the years, and throughout several different ownerships, SVM gained …
Environmental Resource Center + Sun Valley Trekking Huts
written by Hayden Seder In downtown Ketchum, next to Java and across from Rickshaw, there’s a small white building that houses the Environmental Resource Center (ERC). While this unassuming building may not look like much, the nonprofit organization it houses has been operating in the Wood River Valley for over 30 years, connecting people to nature through education and action. In addition to their current initiatives and programs, the ERC is now the new stewards of the Sun Valley Mountain Huts as well, opening up further possibilities of connecting locals and visitors with the area’s natural surroundings. History of the ERC The ERC got its start 32 years ago as just a handful of passionate locals who believed that environmental action and education were imperative to sustain the beauty of our area. What that looked like has changed greatly over the years, from leading beaver dam tours back in the day to starting some of the earliest conversations around recycling the Wood River Valley and ride-sharing, which then ultimately transformed into the start of Mountain Rides. While the forms it’s taken have varied over the years, the mission of the ERC to provide education and inspire action to cultivate a …
Your Guide to the Holidays in Sun Valley, Idaho
The holidays in Sun Valley are magical, and these are just a few of the festive moments that await this holiday season. Don’t know where to start? We’ve compiled your 2018 guide of must-see events and happenings from Christmas festivities to rock-the-house New Year’s shenanigans!
Get to Know Every Ice Rink in the Wood River Valley
written by Hayden Seder For those visiting the Wood River Valley this winter season, put away the skis and sleds for a day and try a different winter activity: skating! Whether you’re a complete beginner or a pro on the ice, lacing up a pair of figure or hockey skates can be a great family friendly activity. There are three rinks to choose from, from a completely free outdoor rink in Ketchum to the historic Sun Valley Ice Rink in the heart of the Sun Valley Village and the Campion Ice House in Hailey. Whether you visit all three or just stick to one, you’ll be sure to have fun! Campion Ice House Prior to the building of the Campion Ice House in 2015, Hailey made do each winter with a free, outdoor natural ice sheet, first at Roberta McKercher Park and then the Hailey Rodeo grounds. But the community wanted an enclosed ice arena, and thus the Campion Ice House was born, providing an affordable skating facility in Hailey as well as a home for the local Sun Valley Suns amateur ice hockey team. The facility runs numerous events and programming, including learn-to-skate clinics, a curling league and clinics, …
What We’re Made Of: Satori Sake
Written by Hayden Seder In a small garage space by the airport in Hailey is the production facility for Idaho’s first sake brewery: Satori Sake. While the Wood River Valley may not seem like the most obvious place to launch a sake business, for owner and brewmaster Shin Hasegawa, quitting his job in tech, moving to the Wood River Valley, and tapping into his Japanese heritage ended up being a “satori” moment for him—and one that sake lovers in Southern Idaho have responded to with enthusiasm. How It Started Like so many others who move to the Wood River Valley, Shin was looking for a change. After leaving his home of Tokyo, where he trained as a sushi chef, he moved to California and worked as a sushi chef before eventually relocating to the Bay Area to work in tech. Though he had left Japan, he brought a piece of home with him, through making fermented foods at home: beer, kombucha, miso paste, soy sauce, and kimchi. Eventually, he quit his job and moved to Ketchum in 2020, unsure what his next move was. His “satori” moment (satori is the Japanese Buddhist experience of awakening) came on the chairlift, when …
3 Best Ways to Maximize Hiking in Sun Valley
With hundreds of miles of trail within easy reach of downtown, Ketchum and Sun Valley are a hiker’s paradise. The Wood River Valley is fenced in by the Smoky, Boulder and Pioneer Mountains and within an hour drive lies the Sawtooth, White Cloud and Lost River mountain ranges, each boasting their own unique hiking experiences. Views will have you channeling your inner Ansel Adams, with wildlife sightings virtually guaranteed. The best ways to maximize your hiking experience is to check out some local guide experiences, read up on some of our blogs, and educate yourself on trail etiquette. Guide Services Guides are the best way to take all the leg work out of deciding where to hike and puts the leg work on the trails. There are plenty of guides across the valley with decades of local knowledge and all the best spots to go at any time of year! Beyond just dodging the crowds, Guides are also a vital resource for trail stewardship and etiquette. With more and more visitors venturing to the outdoors to take advantage of the trails, they may feel busier than normal. Guided hiking trips and shuttles to your favorite trailheads are available for any …
Maximizing Shoulder Season in Sun Valley
Slack season is one of the secret times in Sun Valley. It’s a uniquely quiet moment when the crowds are gone, the hills are lush with greenery and the opportunities for spring rejuvenation are calling. We’ve compiled a go-to guide of how to maximize this unknown gem of a season that is spring in Sun Valley.
3 Reasons to Travel to Sun Valley for Opening Day
If you’ve never experienced an Opening Day in Sun Valley—don’t you think it’s about time? Here are 3 reasons to travel to Sun Valley for this double-holiday.
Sun Valley + IKON Pass
No matter how much you might love your home mountain, there are always other resorts to try out. And if you’re a powder hound, you might just spend your winters hopping from ski hill to ski hill, going where the meteorologist says the next dump will hit. This kind of winter adventuring is a heck of a lot easier with the IKON Pass, a multi-resort ski and snowboard season pass that gives you access to a whopping 50 resort destinations across five continents, 10 countries, 15 states, and four Canadian provinces. The 2023–2024 season, marked the first year that the Sun Valley Resort was a part of the Ikon Pass, adding itself to the list of iconic mountains one can experience as a pass holder. Sun Valley also joined the Mountain Collective Pass for the 2023-2024 season. Sun Valley is no longer on the EPIC Pass. For the 2024-2025 season, Sun Valley continues to be on the IKON Pass & Mountain Collective Pass. What Are the IKON Pass Offerings? For the 2024-2025 season, the original namesake IKON Pass gets you unlimited access at 17 destinations and up to seven days each at 42 destinations. Included in those 17 with …
