There’s no end to the variety of restaurants, cafes, and bakeries in the Sun Valley area and greater Wood River Valley, and complementing those eats are a bounty of fresh, locally grown ingredients as well as homemade creations from area bakers and cooks. Whether you’d like to enjoy a meal completely cooked from scratch while you dine out or simply want to pick up locally made cooks to enjoy at home or on the road, Ketchum, Sun Valley, and Hailey are home to many spots to eat local made and sourced food. Restaurants So many restaurants within the Wood River Valley make many of their ingredients from scratch, source locally grown food, or buy already made products from local producers. It would take up this whole blog entry to go into each in depth, but here’s just a selection of the best spots to eat local goods. In Hailey, try dinner spot CK’s for globally inspired farm-to-table cuisine made with sustainable ingredients and lots of Idaho suppliers. Also in Hailey is high-end bike shop and pub the Powerhouse, which offers a selection of burgers, tacos, salads, and fries made with house-made, locally sourced ingredients. Ketchum dinner restaurant The Covey makes …
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24 Hours With Local Amy Mattias
Practically everything that Amy Mattias does, from her job to her hobbies, revolves around locally grown food. The newly appointed Executive Director for the non-profit Sun Valley Institute for Resilience has been with the organization for five years and before that worked for Nourish Me, Lava Lake Lamb, Idaho’s Bounty, the Wood River Sustainability Center, and Kray’s Market. As the ED of the Sun Valley Institute for Resilience, Mattias manages three programs that the institute is the overarching body of: the Impact Idaho Fund, which invests in locally rooted ideas and entrepreneurs; the Local Food Alliance, which raises awareness of the local food system and puts out the Wood River Valley Locally Grown Guide, which lists all the farms, ranchers, restaurants, retail stores, and farmers’ markets that source local food; and 5B Resilient, a program about empowering everyday climate action at the individual and household level. Amy Mattias has lived in the Valley for almost ten years, the last two of which have been spent in her new home in the Bellevue Triangle, where she lives with her husband and born-and-raised local Chris Mattias, their dogs Susie B and Ripper, and eight hens and one rooster. Their property has lots …
What We’re Made Of: Reflex Ski Poles
The epic skiing and snowboarding available in the Sun Valley area has inspired entrepreneurs in the area for decades, from the founding of Scott USA in 1958 to Smith Optics in 1965 to more modern brands like Wolf Ski, 5B Ski Factory, Mountain Approach, and Research Design Skis. Originally founded in 1979, Reflex Ski Poles has had a resurgence after the brand was reborn in 2020, helping to fill the void left by so many of these iconic Sun Valley brands either leaving the area or shutting down altogether. Reflex has taken the passion of the rowdy, local ski community and channeled it into making the best ski pole in the industry, in what they refer to as “the OG ski town for OG skiers.” The Beginning: 1979 The origins of Reflex lie in another Sun Valley-based company, Scott USA. It’s no surprise that Gus Verge, a Scott USA employee in charge of pole manufacturing, would find himself thinking about how to improve the ski pole. Though Scott USA founder Ed Scott invented the first aluminum ski pole and vastly changed the market, Verge saw a hole in the market for a ski pole that performed better and outlasted all others. He promptly left Scott and along with friends and …
Rafting the Rivers around Sun Valley
Rafting on any of the numerous sections of rivers surrounding the Sun Valley area can be the experience of a lifetime. Taking in the beauty of Idaho from the swirling waters of its beautiful rivers is truly a unique experience to our area. Several local outfitters offer single or multi-day river trips for rafters or kayakers, complete with nights around the campfire and food fresh from the Dutch-oven. There are plenty of half- and full-day rafting opportunities in the Sun Valley area and the gentle but exhilarating rapids on the day-stretches of the Salmon River are perfect for families looking for a little excitement. Half and Full day trips A short one-hour drive from Sun Valley, rafting on the Salmon in Stanley offers fresh air and pristine canyon water. Multiple companies offer various sections of the Main Salmon River, for a span of abilities in both kayak and rafts. From mellow stretches for the family all the way up to spring high water class IV rapids there is a trip for you and an outfitter to make it an unforgettable experience. Multi Day Trips Idaho is home to some of the most premier multi-day stretches in the country. The crown jewel …
What We’re Made Of: Waterworks- Lamson
While some companies, like Smith, or Scott, are considered shining examples of entrepreneurs and brands coming out of the Sun Valley area, Waterworks-Lamson has been in business in the area (and beyond) close to 20 years. Created originally as a way to simply release fly-caught fish better, Waterworks-Lamson is now sold worldwide and has developed many more reels and rods than their original Ketchum Release tool innovated in its namesake town. How It Started The company that would become Lamson, and later Waterworks-Lamson, was started in 1996 by brothers Michael and Ryan Harrison and Michael’s brother-in-law, Mark Farris. The trio had moved to Ketchum in 1989 and were designing bike technology in the world of high-performance cycling, creating and patenting cutting-edge components like frame designs and mountain bike suspension systems. As outdoorsmen who loved skiing, biking, and fishing, Ketchum seemed the perfect place to live and test out bikes and, later, fly-fishing gear. The three men were avid fisherman who found themselves frustrated with the hemostat, the go-to at the time for releasing fly-caught fish, for the harm it caused the fish and the fly. With their product design background, they came up with a solution, an innovative tool that …
24 Hours With A Local: Designer/Builder/Sculptor Wes Walsworth
Ketchum native Wes Walsworth no longer plays music (other than as a hobby), but he may be best known to many in the Sun Valley area—and beyond—as a member of punk/bluegrass band the Scotch Greens, which formed in Sun Valley in 1998 before relocating to San Diego. It was while living in San Diego that Wes began to tap into some of his family’s woodworking roots; his father was a builder, and his grandfather was a woodworker. Wes grew up with a woodworking shop at his house and eventually learned finish carpentry and worked for his father. In San Diego he started working for Taylor Guitars and become a luthier, someone who builds or repairs string instruments. After coming back to the Wood River Valley on and off for many years, Wes traveled to Australia, where his professional woodworking career would begin. Wes Walsworth was living on a winery, which had lots of discarded wine barrels that were going to waste. He started taking them apart and using his woodworking skills to create furniture—the rest, as they say, is history. More than a decade later, Wes has created a name for himself as a renowned furniture designer/builder, with designs sold …
Not to Miss Arts & Culture Events This Summer
When we travel, we all have our tried-and-true activities, but why not spice things up with a one-of-a-kind experience? Get ready for a Sun Valley summer like no other because we’ve got a whole lineup of arts & culture events that you won’t find anywhere else! From our signature summer extravaganzas to offbeat and extraordinary experiences, it’s time to create your ultimate Sun Valley summer bucket list. So, throw caution to the wind, embrace the unexpected, and let the adventure begin. Don’t miss out on the chance to make memories that will last a lifetime – start planning your Sun Valley summer today! Sun Valley Museum of Art Concert Series While this series is a beloved staple of the Sun Valley summer, the museum has gone above and beyond to bring an eclectic mix of concerts that cater to all musical tastes. There’s bound to be a concert (or a few!) that will make your summer in truly unforgettable. Check out the incredible lineup and find your perfect summer concert experience right here! Honorable mentions Mexico en el Corazon is a free event on Jun 5th! This event celebrates the folk dances and music from all around Mexico. The Touring …
What We’re Made Of: DECKED
Local company DECKED has created a product that appeals to many of the kinds of people who call Ketchum home: outdoors people, tradesmen/contractors, and just about anyone who drives a truck. It was while innovating a way to organize a truck bed that DECKED founders, Jake Peters and Lance Meller, came up with the idea for DECKED’s drawer system, tapping into the market of truck accessories that few had or have since. In its almost ten years as a company, DECKED has grown from a small-footprint, servicing mom and pop accessory stores, to a multi-national company available directly from manufacturers like Ford and Chevrolet distributed into 27 countries on six continents. The Origin Story Like the origin of so many products, DECKED’s drawer system was the result of necessity. Ketchum local Lance Meller was a snowboard rep and pickup truck owner who built his own plywood drawer system for the bed of his truck, which allowed him to sleep in it while on the road while also storing his snowboard samples. After getting a new truck, Meller realized he would have to build another system from scratch, with no real roadmap for doing so. He partnered with DECKED founder, Jake …
4th of July Week in Sun Valley – 2023
Why You Should Come Why should you come to Sun Valley for the 4th of July? Well, let us set the scene for you. It’s a warm, dry 78*. The sun won’t set until until well after 9pm and the twilight glow will linger until 10pm. Scents of sage and lupine waft delightfully through the air. The Valley is vibrant with visitors and locals alike enjoying abundant outdoor recreational opportunities. Restaurants are maximizing patio seating and fresh regional ingredients are highlighting the special menus. And, there are some of the best arts and cultural events, shows, and exhibits happening. Still looking for more to draw you in? Keep reading to dive deeper into what the 2023 4th of July week in Sun Valley is all about Activities With the first week of July, pretty much every mountain activity you could think of is ready for action. The golf greens are pristine, the mountain bike trails are tacky, the fishing water may be a bit high but is becoming manageable, the hiking trails are flush with wild flowers, and white water north of town is in prime condition. Don’t forget about the more mellow activities out there such as the fine …
Visit Sun Valley, Sustainably!
Traveling sustainably is an important aspect of modern-day travel, and being mindful of our environmental impact while traveling has never been more critical. Fortunately, there are simple things we can all do to help preserve the environment and make our travels more sustainable. From using reusable items to picking up litter, shopping locally, and reducing our carbon footprint, these small actions can go a long way in helping protect the places we love to visit. In this blog post, we’ll cover some easy ways to travel sustainably while enjoying all that the Ketchum area has to offer. Bring reusables! Did you know that Americans use over 100 billion plastic bags each year? If 25% of families used 10 fewer bags per month, we would save 2.5 billion bags per year! Grab that reusable bag and water bottle and hit the town! This is a simple way to do your part when out and about and stopping in shops and groceries. Plus, our local tap water is out of this world. Pick it up! It can be a damper to roll up to a campsite, trailhead, lookout, or even a park and see pieces of trash around. Be sure to pick …