Today I am returning from Sun Valley, Idaho and, as promised, I wanted to share a travel blog on this amazing place. This is the first of two blogs and will focus on the town of Ketchum. With only 3,873 residents, the town is the quintessential Western town with friendly people and an outdoor culture. There are an array of great restaurants, shops, and bars for skiers retiring from a day on the slopes. Located in Wood River Valley, the town contains the popular ski slopes at Bald Mountain. When I arrived, the final competition of the U.S. Alpine Ski Championship was still being held.
Arriving in Sun Valley is itself an adventure as you descend into a valley surrounded by the Pioneer, Boulder, and Sawtooth mountains.
I stayed at the Limelight hotel on Main Street and recommend it. The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful. The hotel looks at the snow-capped mountains and has a great bar and lounge. They serve a great complimentary breakfast to give skiers and others a hearty start to the day.
Located next to Sun Valley, Ketchum and the surrounding areas have become a draw for the famous and wealthy, including celebrities like Tom Hanks. Locals call them “COWs” for California, Oregon, and Washington emigres. That draw is evident from the line of private jets that you pass on the tarmac of the tiny airport.
There is a surprising number of bars and restaurants in this small town, including signature bars like the Pioneer saloon (shown here) and Whiskey’s on Main Street. I also enjoyed meals at Enoteca with a great wine list from California and Oregon. One night we ate at the Ketchum Grill and had their signature meatloaf. It was so good that I returned the next night for a repeat.
On my second day, I went to the top of Bald Mountain. After crossing a small creek, you find a great lounge and bar at the base of the mountain with indoor and outdoor fireplaces. The staff cannot be more informative or helpful. You will need lift tickets so reservations are helpful. I spoke to a number of locals who were taking their regular runs on the slopes. Because there was less snow this winter, they were relying on their snow machines before the close for the season.
To get to the top of the mountain, you take the gondola to the Roundhouse Restaurant near the top. It has a great view from its deck and serves food and drinks at 7,700 feet of elevation on Bald Mountain. It was built in 1939 and has that genuine rustic feel.
You can then take the ski lift to the top of the mountain by taking the “Christmas lift (#3). It is not for those who do not like heights (though it helps if you are smarter than your host and realize that there is a pull down safety bar).
I was able to achieve a uniquely degrading landing at the top. I do not ski so this was my first lift experience. I made it memorable. When we reached the top, I thought the lift had stopped and jumped off. The chair lift then hit me and sent me sprawling forward in a face plant in the snow as the next chair pushed me down again. Small children looked on in disgust as one of the ski staff ran over and complimented me on a spectacular fall and roll. What can I say, it is a skill.
To make my disgrace complete, the watchful staff waited for me when I returned to go back down in order to stop the lift for me. I left without a modicum of dignity and heavily laden with self-disgust.
However, between my moments of self-degradation, I was able to take a few snaps of the surrounding mountains. Usually you can see as far as Salt Lake City on a clear day, but there was snow coming in. It was still an unforgettable view.
There are a variety of ski runs, including the competitive runs used by top skiers. Despite the cold, I would have lingered longer but I had to give a talk on free speech at the beautiful Argyros center. It is a ten minute walk back to Main Street.
While skiing is a big draw, the summer months also pull many to the town for people interested in fly fishing, hiking, and other outdoor activities. The local rivers are favorites for those eager to catch trout, salmon, and other fish. There are also many moose (who sometimes venture into town), elk, bear and other wildlife.
The next day I was scheduled to drive to the mountains for snowmobile excursion. More to come…
Idaho is actually a state I’ve never been to, I have traversed mainly the Rockies, the Southwest, the South, and both coasts. Was watching Napoleon Dynamite recently, and it takes place in Idaho; I must confess I don’t know much about it. Looks amazing, thank you for sharing with us.
Been there once. I was in Jackson on my honeymoon when stupid me dropped, then stepped on my blood glucose meter. The nearest place to replace it was the Walmart in Idaho Falls, on the other side of the Teton Pass. We’re self employed so my wife spent the better part of an afternoon while I drove over and back. Absolutely stunning land.
Learned a few things on the drive. If you have decided to use a vape to quit smoking (worked for us) be prepared to have the entire tank pump itself into your cup holder over the pass due to the air pressure difference due to altitude.
Thank you for sharing that. Seems like a beautiful place I will never visit because I can’t sit on a plane that long. I’m glad the lift incident didn’t produce any lasting effects!
We drove from Pennsylvania. It’s worth every single mile behind the wheel.
Hey Jonathan, No worries… that happens to everyone the the first time they get off a chairlift, its like a rite of passage ! The mountains form of gentle hazing before she allows you on her.
That said, the several great “bars and lounges” your reviewed prior to the chair lift experince may have effected your performance while exiting the lift 🙂
Keep up the great commentary, I look forward to your words daily… You are a voice of reason in a very chaotic world.
Tom
You were Bidenesque in your dismount! Glad you didn’t hurt yourself though – that would have spoiled what sounds like a really lovely trip.
Having been to Ketchum several times, you picked well for lodging and dining. The only thing I would have added was driving north over Galena Summit and stopping below at the Bethine and Frank Church Overlook for a breathtaking view of the Sawtooth Mountains and the Stanley Basin below.
Your hotel was literally a 10 minutes walk from Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Church. It is Holy Week, and the church looks like a lovely and sacred space to engage in spiritual reflection.
As for your spectacular wipe out, maybe God was trying to tell you something?
Blessed Triduum to all
✝️
Beautiful scenery and interesting little town! Thank you, Dr. Turley!
I’m wanting to try that meatloaf special!
Laughed out loud reading your description of your Christmas lift dismount. Hysterical.
Sounds like a comedy scene from a movie with a nutty professor character. LOL.
Glad you were not hurt, other than ego.
A friend learning to snowboard in their late 40s, hopped off a chair lift, lost balance, got hit by the lift, went down, broken ankle, ski patrol called in with a rescue toboggan, the works.
Silver lining while recuperating in a cast is that the friend got to tell people it was due to a snowboarding accident, which is way cooler than saying you stepped off a curb and twisted your ankle running late for a business meeting. LOL.
You deserve the break; glad the fall didn’t do you in, like J.L.
Stunning views from atop. Worth the fall. Did you miss us? We missed you.
Very nice professor!
Waoo! Thanks for sharing! I think he has a new job, I love his descriptive narration, I even felt like I fell out of my chair! (it’s already happened to me).
Beautiful pictures.
Walt Disney’s movie “NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN” part of a montage of short subjects in FANTASIA. Imagination at its best.
I think most every skier, if they think way back to learning, knows your pain and humiliation! Glad you just had hurt feelings. Beautiful pics
nice spot…sadly the RICHEST are buying up all the nice spots and destroying locals across the country…what is the avg house price in that area…$2 million, $5 Million against an average salary of $65,000?
I visited there back in the very early 2004 or 2005 before COW arrived on the scene. I can only imagine how it has changed.
It’s not how you fall, but how you recover that matters
I think it was Hailey, Demi Moore had a doll house that you were not supposed look in, but everyone did. It was a house, full of her dolls. Really nice area, I have not been there in a while. Sounds like a great trip.
Since Tom Hanks is a big Democrat, shouldn’t be vacationing in Newark, and traveling by EV?
Gorgeous spot – and iconic American West bars and restaurants! Now I want to visit too. And how fun that you got the full skier experience (minus the blown knee).