Ketchum is a small town in the central part of Idaho. It has a population of under 4,000 and is well known for it’s world famous skiing at Sun Valley along with fishing, hiking, trail riding, tennis, shopping, and more. Our RV park, Meadows RV Park, is located in Ketchum which meant we had easy access to all that Ketchum and the surrounding areas have to offer.
Hailey is a town just to the south of Ketchum by about 10 miles and is a bit bigger with a population of about 8,000 people. It also has the site of the Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) which many use to fly in and out of the Sun Valley area. The Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference is held in Sun Valley every July since 1983. Attendees include major political figures, top 1% of CEO’s, and other movers and shakers (Musk, Buffett, Gates, Zuckerberg, Bezos, etc.). The event is known to clog the airport in Hailey, cause delays, avert traffic, and run out of parking for all the private jets flying in and out of the area. Many jets have to drop off their passengers and fly to Boise or Twin Falls to park. We missed the whole event by a week because for some reason, we were not invited.
Sun Valley sits at about 6,000 feet and is adjacent to Ketchum. It lies at the base of Bald Mountain (9,150 feet) and is a resort town with a population of under 2,000. The ski resort was developed in the 1930s and has a rich history including but not limited to, being the first resort to have chairlifts, hosting major ski races, used as a convalescent hospital during WWII, Ernest Hemingway wrote For Whom The Bell Tools at the Sun Valley Lodge room 206, and a whole host of other celebrities have either lived or visited here.
The area has a quaint mountain village with lodging, restaurants, condos, and a park like feel.
The Sun Valley Lodge was opened in 1936 and is an iconic building which has undergone various renovations over the years including the addition of many more rooms.
The inside lobby has a few nice sitting areas, a bar, a gift shop, reception, and hallways of photographs showing previous guests at the lodge.
There is patio dining out back with a view of the ice rink which yes, operates even on the hottest of days!
Not be outdone is the Sun Valley Inn which is nearby and it opened its doors in 1937 and it too has been remodeled over the years.
In the summertime the outdoor dining with the abundance of flowers and the views are stunning.
Another great thing about the area is the Wood River Trail which is a 20+ mile paved, non-motorized trail for biking, hiking, and cross country skiing (in the winter). It connects Bellevue, Hailey, Ketchum, and Sun Valley. It is a terrific trail and we biked about 14 miles leaving from our RV park (Meadows RV Park) up to Sun Valley, Dollar Mountain, and back. We got rained out a bit but it was still a fantastic ride and it allowed us to see the area at a slower pace (and no crowds due to the rain).
We enjoyed our time here and as usual it was way too short but the road is calling us so its time to move on!
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