Resort city and alpine ski area, which consists of Bald Mountain, the main ski mountain adjacent to Ketchum

General Information

Closest cities with hotels:

Sun Valley
Twin Falls, 83 miles

Seasons:

Open all year though fully accessible for only four months during summer, owing to the very heavy winter snowfall

Rating:

★ 5.0

Sun Valley, ID Weather Forecast

How to Get There

From Salt Lake City (294 miles): Get on I-15 N. Follow I-15 N and I-84 W to US-93 N in Jerome County. Take exit 173 from I-84 W. Follow US-93 N and State Hwy 75 N to Inn Entry Ln in Sun Valley.

Overview

Sun Valley is a resort city in Blaine County, Idaho. The resort is adjacent to the city of Ketchum and within the greater Wood River valley. Visitors to Sun Valley are relatively close to the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, accessed over Galena Summit on State Highway 75, the Sawtooth Scenic Byway.

Among skiers, the term "Sun Valley" refers to the alpine ski area, which consists of Bald Mountain, the main ski mountain adjacent to Ketchum. Dollar Mountain, which is adjacent to Sun Valley, is suited for novice and lower intermediate skiers. Bald Mountain, or "Baldy," has a summit of 9,150 feet (2,790 m) and a vertical drop of 3,400 feet (1,035 m).

Two sections

A small mountain saddle splits the city of Sun Valley into two sections. The northern section is centered around the famous Sun Valley Lodge, Inn, and the "village" complex of shops, condominiums, and original 18-hole golf course (27 holes by 2008), which winds its way up the Trail Creek valley to the northeast. This area is referred to as simply "Sun Valley."

The southern area of Elkhorn, adjacent to Dollar Mountain, has its own condo complex and 18-hole golf course. Quite distinct and separate, including a drier "sagebrush" appearance, it was initially developed in 1972. The Sun Valley Company took over day-to-day operations of the Elkhorn Golf Club in July 2011.

Adjacent to Sun Valley is the older city of Ketchum, which is just a mile downstream of the Sun Valley Lodge (along Trail Creek). Ketchum comprises primarily the 19th-century town center (with its limited grid system) and lands adjacent to Bald Mountain along the Big Wood River and Warm Springs Creek.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sun Valley, Idaho", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0