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Spring, Summer

Golfing Around Sun Valley, Idaho

“This is not all about golf,” is inscribed in a stone marker at the 5th tee box of Sun Valley Resort’s White Clouds golf course, words spoken by the Resort’s owner to commemorate his vision when he dedicated the parcel of land for the golf course. While the Sun Valley area is certainly not all about golf, it’s certainly holding its own in the department with three Sun Valley golf courses—Trail Creek, White Clouds, and Elkhorn—as well as Bigwood and The Valley Club courses. Read on to learn about which style of course will suit your fancy and which clubs have the best afternoon drinks and bites to soak up rays after hitting the links. Sun Valley Resort The Sun Valley Resort is home to three golf courses, each with their own terrain and appeal. Combined, these three courses offer up a total of 45 holes with two driving ranges and putting practice putting opportunities. Sun Valley golf was most recently recognized by Golf Digest as one of the Best Courses in the PNW. Trail Creek The Trail Creek golf course is located at the Sun Valley Club House and is the resort’s signature course. The 18-hole course was designed by Robert …

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Camping, Summer

Best Places to Camp Around Sun Valley

We’ve compiled a starter guide to camping around Sun Valley, Idaho. You’ll find information on public campgrounds, dispersed camping, RV parks as well as details on where to grocery shop, where to grab a shower, dump stations, dinner spots and camping supplies. 

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Biking, Bucket List, Summer

Sun Valley, Idaho: Your Next Mountain Biking Bucket List Destination

Bucket list — it’s a term often used to describe mountain biking in Sun Valley. What makes this place deserving of such a lofty moniker? First, there’s literally hundreds of miles of prime Idaho singletrack, and because the valley flies under the radar of mainstream mountain bike enthusiasts, there’s not a ton of folks competing for real estate. Heard of the movie Private Idaho? It’s pretty common to feel like you’ve got the place pretty much to yourself. With so many options, where do you start? Well, it’s helpful to size up what kind of riding you’re looking for. Are you the meadow-skipping sort who’s in it for stunning scenery more than white-knuckle descending, or are you rip ready for a rugged, sub-alpine adventure that will leave your legs and arms feeling like a raw tartare you might find on a French menu? Never fear, because we’ve got it all here and can steer you in the right direction.

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Arts & Culture, Summer

Local KDPI DJs Weigh In on Sun Valley’s Summer Music Lineup

Live music abounds in Sun Valley in the summer, from big-ticket shows at River Run to smaller ticketed shows at the Liberty Theater and Whiskeys to the lengthy slate of free weekly music, like Wicked Wednesdays at the Wicked Spud, Ketch’em Alive at Forest Service Park, and Hailey Rocks at Hop Porter Park. This summer is no different, with an excellent lineup of concerts from the Sun Valley Museum of Art (SVMOA), the Arygros, Sun Valley, and more. To give you the inside scoop, Visit Sun Valley chatted with some radio DJs from local station KDPI—trust us, these guys know music. Joining us were Sheila Moriarty, Brett Macubre, and Logan Frederickson from Mountain Music Menagerie (a weekly themed show curated by a group of friends on Thursdays from 7–9pm) and Caleb Horowitz (aka DJ Klondike) of The Good Show, described as “good music for good and bad people” (Wednesdays from 8–10pm). Sun Valley Museum of Art: Old Crow Medicine Show and Lake Street Dive The SVMOA summer concert series is always a season highlight, with past performances by artists like Wilco, Emmylou Harris, Bonnie Raitt, and more. Playing at the Sun Valley Pavilion on June 19 is folk band Old …

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Arts & Culture, Spring

6 Reasons the Sun Valley Film Festival is Better than Sundance

  Sun Valley has been attracting Hollywood darlings since the 1930’s, when Averill Harriman invited his A-list Rolodex to hang out on the slopes of Dollar Mountain. On any given day you might run into Tom Hanks at the Elephant’s Perch or Jodie Foster at Java, but every March filmmakers and actors will descend en masse for the Sun Valley Film Festival. The Sun Valley Film Festival has attracted major sponsors and lauded film insiders. So does Sundance, you say? Yeah, we know. But we think we have a few things to set us apart. Come see if we’re right.   Photo Courtesy of SVFF // Amanda Nagy Come as Yourself Filmmakers and movie lovers alike are welcome at the Sun Valley Film Festival. Whether you’re writing your first script, just wrapped a blockbuster movie, or simply like to binge watch Netflix, you’ll feel at home. Insiders and newbies mingle in theaters and lobbies throughout town. Red tape? We don’t really do that around here. But leave your selfie stick at home.   Photo Courtesy of SVFF // Mark Davis – Getty Images Intimate and Laid Back The Sun Valley Film Festival is often described as intimate and laid back, …

Arts & Culture, Bucket List, Spring

The Greatest Golf Tourney On Earth – The Ketchum Wide Open

The official score card of destiny Harley’s for hangovers, Banks Gilberti must still be looking for his passport. It began nearly a quarter century ago as a way to pass time during spring slack season at a time of year when the tourists are not on tour and the locals are getting a little restless.  It’s a basic yet brilliant concept: the bars and restaurants in town rally together and each creates a mini-golf hole to try and befuddle even the savviest golfer.  Athletes congregate in teams of two and play a round of ultimate mini golf. Bonuses are awarded for various actions and everyone tries to make it all the way around town before the closing bell rings. Costumes are taken seriously in Sun Valley and the KWO as it is affectionately known brings out the best of the best. The Vikings and the Americans battle for the title in a previous year’s KWO. It’s no joke and if there was ever a winter of preparation to get ready for this event Sun Valley has got it. Spend hours upon hours at après and you are the finely tuned machine who will come and represent. Registration starts promptly at …

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Family, Summer

Get your Western on Sun Valley Style

Before Count Felix Schaffgosch arrived in Ketchum and created “America’s First Destination Ski Resort,” the area had already experienced the boom and bust of a profitable mining settlement, the rise of sheep ranching, and the quiet days of the Great Depression. The Wood River Valley was settled in the 1860’s by a handful of mining prospectors, and by 1880 the area was on its way to being one of the richest silver mining regions. Mule and horse-drawn wagons transported ore between the mines and Union Pacific depots until the rail line extended into Ketchum. After the silver bust in the 1890’s sheep ranching in the area grew from the 1890’s to the 1920’s, when Ketchum became the largest sheep and lamb shipping station in the United States. Though the town changed with the creation of Sun Valley Resort, the past lived on in buildings, ranches, and colorful stories. Through activities like horseback riding, sport shooting, and festivals like Wagon Days and Trailing of the Sheep the story of the area is not being forgotten and you can still experience the Western heritage of this one-time mining town. Horseback Riding While Sun Valley may not flaunt its reputation as a part of the …