If your ideal vacation includes sitting in traffic or getting lost trying to drive around a new town, then Sun Valley may not be the right place for you. You see, we don’t like to waste a lot of time driving around when there’s so much fun and adventure to be had right out our front door. While it can sometimes be a challenge to get to our winter oasis in the Northern Rockies, once you arrive in Sun Valley it’s easy to ditch the car. From the slopes to the shops, from the airport to Sun Valley resort to Galena Lodge, it’s easy to get around without having to get behind the wheel of anything, except a bicycle. It’s nice to go someplace where you can leave the car behind and still easily get wherever you and your family want to go. To help you get around, here’s a rundown of the local transportation options. Enjoy a Mountain Ride When some of us hear the phrase “take the bus to the lift” we have bad flashbacks to slow rides in yellow school buses at Heavenly Mountain. The Free Town Bus in Ketchum and Sun Valley is more …
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Your Guide to Snowmobiling in the Sun Valley, Idaho Area
Karl Malone Powersports HaileyNeed for speed? Craving the sights of jagged snow-capped peaks? Sun Valley sledders do too. With the enormous and vast swath of carefully zoned Forest Service managed backcountry terrain surrounding the area, snowmobilers can enjoy the ranges and rarely see another group of riders. It’s a hidden gem for experienced rippers who can navigate the high elevations yet still memorable for those relegated to the groomed trails. Some folks even strap their skis to the sleds to access deeper and more remote backcountry skiing. The beauty of our riding mecca is ease of access for all ability levels from guided trail rides to technical side-hills through tight trees to deep powder meadows. Sun Valley is a place for sledders to seek out. What we ask in return is that you know where the designated snowmobile access points are and continue to be good stewards to the multi-use resource. photo: Amy David | rider: Jeremy Lato Now that you’re fired up to venture to Sun Valley for some snowmobiling action, we’re going to give you the run-down on the basics for snowmobiling out here in Sun Valley, Idaho. Rentals and Guides photo: Smiley Creek Lodge Smiley Creek Lodge is the Sawtooth Valley …
Skiing & Snowboarding Sun Valley On a Budget
Believe it or not, many of the mountain lifestyle luxuries can be experienced while on a budget. This guide dishes out the inside tips of how to keep costs down while capitalizing on skiing America’s relatively undiscovered ski & snowboard resort destination.
Ketchum, Idaho’s Modern Art Scene
If you look beyond the iconic depictions of the natural beauty found surrounding Sun Valley, Idaho you’ll find a relatively undiscovered yet robust art scene with especially when it comes to modern and contemporary purveyors. With 12+ galleries located in Ketchum alone, there’s sure to be something for nearly everyone.
Immerse Yourself: Sun Valley’s Artist-in-Residence Scene
A sunrise over the Sawtooth Mountain range, sunsets on Silver Creek, wild rivers and even wilder horses, are all here in the Sun Valley area to inspire and entice artists to Idaho. It’s a place where artists can truly immerse themselves in a one of a kind place. The local artist in residence programs offer incredible opportunities to experience and explore a place intimately, where they can live and create on sight in an awe inspiring venue.
Off-Mountain Winter Family Fun
While Bald Mountain may be the hub of activity during the winter in Sun Valley, there are still lots of entertaining options to be found off the mountain, too. When your family needs a break from the slopes, it’s easy to keep the fun times rolling right along. Here a few ideas to keep the smiles and memories going strong. Go Climbing Mountains aren’t the only things you can climb around here. The climbing wall and bouldering cave at the Wood River Community YMCA in Ketchum are a blast. Just about any age climber can enjoy bouldering, while older kids and parents can find climbs of varying challenge using the Y’s Grigri belays. After climbing around, the Y also offers an expansive indoor Aquatic Center that includes water slides, a lap pool, a hot tub and a steam room. Hit the Wood River Trail on Ski or Wheels Sun Valley is known as “Nordic Town USA” for good reason. There are over 25 miles of groomed cross-country and skate-skiing trails locally, with another baker’s dozen worth of groomed snowshoe miles along the Trail Creek Golf Course at the Sun Valley Resort. Nordic skiing and snowshoeing are both pretty easy for …
Sun Valley Jazz & Music Festival
Born in 1989, the annual Sun Valley Jazz & Music Festival on the third weekend in October delivers five straight days of live music. The event draws between 5,000 and 6,000 jazz connoisseurs from each of the 50 states and several foreign countries. This year’s festivities will run Oct 16-20, 2019 at venues including the Limelight Ballroom and Continental Room at Sun Valley, the Opera House, Satchmo’s, and the River Run Lodge. Forty bands with performances by over 200 musicians will play a variety of music genres from vintage jazz to swing to big band, zydeco, blues, gypsy and more. A festival kickoff party will take place Tuesday the 15that the Limelight Ballroom with a “Roaring ‘20s” theme. Free dance lessons will take place over the weekend at the River Run Lodge including dances like the Lindy Hop and Charleston. History of the Festival The Sun Valley Jazz & Music Festival was started by Tom Hazzard, a southern California boy who grew up listening to musicians like Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and others of the jazz genre. After attending a jazz festival with his wife in 1988, Hazzard was driving back home to Boise when he came up with the …
Kids Will Fall for Autumn in Sun Valley, ID
The biggest challenges for kids isn’t deciding what to do, it’s deciding what they’d love to do first. Biking or bowling, hiking or fishing, skate boarding or swimming, ice skating, mini-golf or the playground, they’re all easy to do in and around Sun Valley. And the best part about playing around here in the fall is that it often feels like you’ve got the whole place to yourselves.
Couple’s Weekend Guide to Sun Valley
Bobby and Alli from Traveling Newlyweds here. Sun Valley may be known for their epic slopes in the winter, and the endless hiking, biking, and fly-fishing opportunities in the summer, but there’s an element of Sun Valley that isn’t always talked about. The romance. Sun Valley is without a doubt one of the most romantic mountain towns we’ve ever been to, with its quaint downtown streets, candlelit restaurants, and luxurious hotels. It’s the perfect couple’s getaway, whether you’re celebrating an anniversary or just in the mood for a spontaneous adventure! Here’s our couple’s guide for a 2-3-night getaway in dreamy Sun Valley: Stay Knob Hill Inn What’s more romantic than staying in a European Ski Chalet? Knob Hill is Sun Valley’s premier boutique hotel, and it’s easy to see why. The rooms are spacious, the staff is attentive, and the decor is gorgeous. Knob Hill Inn is warm and charming, yet modern and elegant, and the Grill at Knob Hill is one of the best in the area… which leads us to: Eat The Grill at Knob Hill Using only the finest local ingredients, and an indoor/outdoor setting that is incredibly picturesque no matter the time of year, the Grill …
Freehub Magazine Bikepacks Through the Sun Valley Backcountry
Freehub Magazine set out to find a bikepacking destination that they could easily fly to and roll out directly in to the path of adventure. Sun Valley was the answer in their quest for the bikepacking grail. Easy airport access, deepwoods exploration, expansive views, hot springs, yurts and tasty singletrack were all rolled up in to one unforgettable experience in the Sawtooth Wilderness. Sit back and re-live what they uncovered. For the full itinerary and story on this project, head over to Freehub.com Huge thanks to SV Trekking, Galena Lodge, Club Ride, Sturtevant’s and Sawtooth Brewery for support on this adventure!