Ketchum-Sun Valley, Idaho

Ketchum, Idaho is located in the Wood River Valley 1.5 hours north of Twin Falls, Idaho, 2,5 hours to Boise Idaho and  4.5 hours Twin Bridges, Montana and 4.5 hours to Yellowstone National Park.

There is a fantastic city park across the street from Atkinson Market, one of the best little in-town markets catering salad bars, healthy foods for people traveling or on the go. We grabbed a salad bar-sushi and sat at the park, afterward enjoying ice cream from Leroy’s small ice cream stand right at the park.

Highway 75 is extremely straight, flat, and boring. We had not seen an entire police car in weeks, and here we had 5 speed by us and pull people over. Highway 75 is a two-lane road and posted speed is 55 miles per hour because of accidents.  However, you get to see the small towns of Hailey, Gimlet, Bellevue, and Shoshone.

“Sun Valley” is generally used when referring to the region surrounding the city, including the neighboring city of Ketchum and the Wood River Valley area. Sun Valley including the alpine ski area consists of Bald Mountain (the main ski mountain next to the town of Ketchum) and Dollar Mountain next to Bald Mountain. The population of Ketchum is 2,763 in Ketchum and 1,438 in Sun Valley, but can double when tourists arrive in ski season or summer.

Bald Mountain located within the Smokey Mountains of Idaho is located within the Sawtooth National Forest. At 9,150 feet, Bald Mountain has one of the higher summits of the Smoky Mountains and often referred to as one of the better ski mountains in the world. 

In the 1880s, Ketchum was a booming mine town with saloons, hotels, hot springs, restaurants, and businesses. By 1936, the mining boom had ended, and the population dwindled to 100 people.  Count Felix Schaffgosch looking for the finest spot to build a ski resort, and Sun Valley became it. Deemed “America’s First Destination Ski Resort,” celebrities flocked to the area-Clark Gable, Gary Cooper, Ingrid Bergman, and Ernest Hemingway eventually made it his home. Pretty commercialized, newly built homes-condos and upscale expensive boutiques – the main historical streets of Ketchum remain authentic and in great shape.

With a long history of sheep ranching, the Wood River Valley was once one of the largest sheep shipping centers in the world.  Sheep ranching is still active today. Every fall the Trailing of the Sheep Festival occurs through Main Street in Ketchum toward Hailey. One of the biggest celebrations of the year is Ketchum Wagon Days the last weekend of August which has grown to be the largest, non-motorized parade in the Northwest. The Big Hitch Parade has six Lewis Freight Line ore wagons used during the Valley’s mining days, pulled by 20 mules thundering down Main Street. Other events include cowboy poetry, musicians, cultural demos, fiddling, barn dance, pancake breakfast, and a free public concert.

Places to stay in Sun Valley, Idaho