Nestled in the Northern Rockies of Central Idaho, Sun Valley is an all-seasons destination resort town synonymous with skiing. The closest airport is 14 miles from Sun Valley Resort in Hailey, Idaho. Friedman Memorial AIrport (SUN) offers daily flights from Seattle, Salt Lake City and Los Angeles. Flying into Boise is another option with shuttle service available between Sun Valley and Boise Airport.
Enjoy bluebird skies by day, incredible starry nights in the evening and a plethora of outdoor activities in some of the most beautiful terrain in the US. This area is the seasonal homes to many rich and famous people including Oprah Winfrey, Mark Zuckerberg, Warren Buffet, Tom Hanks and Tony Robinson to name just a few.
Sun Valley was opened as a destination resort in 1936 by Union Pacific Railroad. It is famous for having a perfect pitch mountain face - that is, no flats or plateaus during your run, just pure descent! Soar from a peak of 9,150ft to the base where many of the day lodges are at an elevation of 5,750ft. The longest run is 3 miles and there are a total of 80 runs serviced by 19 lifts including one gondola which opened in 2009-10. The main mountain is Bald Mountain which features 12 lifts (including the gondola) that cover over 2,000 skiable acres. "Baldy", as it is known to locals, also offers a challenging progressive terrain park including a superpipe. For a change of pace you can also enjoy over 25 miles of Nordic skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating and hockey.
Throughout the rest of the year enjoy a variety of activities including golf, horseback riding, biking, hiking, fly fishing and rafting. Golf Digest recently rated Sun Valley as one of the top 75 resort courses. Sun Valley's signature course, Trail Creek, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr. and offers a challenging course for your ego combined with incredible mountain views. A total of 45 holes of golf are offered at Sun Valley with 3 challenging and varied courses. There are a total of 8 courses in the Sun Valley area.
Summertime in Sun Valley is alive and vibrant with plenty of activities, entertainment and events to keep you as busy as you want to be. It's not what can I do here? The question is what do I feel like enjoying today? As the options really are endless. Go for a sunrise bike ride along Corral Creek Trail. Or hike to the peak of one of the many mountain ranges in the area like Sawtooth, White Cloud, Boulder or Pioneer. Cool off with a dip in Redfish Lake. Or if you are feeling really adventurous, enjoy a tandem paraglide flight off of Baldy Mountain. In the evening pack a picnic and take in the symphony at the Sun Valley Pavilion, visit one of the many galleries or rent a pair of skates and enjoy the winter activity year round in the ice arena.
Winter is just as busy. Up for some adventure? Consider back-country skiing at Galena Pass or get the thrill of a lifetime and enjoy 50,000 ft of vertical heli-skiing. Afterwords, enjoy rehashing the thrills of the day with friends and family over drinks at one of the many places to take in Sun Valley's famous apres-ski!
Sun Valley also holds several annual events throughout the year including the Ride Sun Valley Bike Festival held the end of June and early July. Immerse yourself in mountain bike culture and take in some world-class single-tracks here in Sun Valley. The World Paragliding Cup is also held in Sun Valley around the 3rd week of August. The fall brings Crosstoberfest - a bike race and beer festival held the end of October. Watch or better yet - enter the cyclocross - a bike race over a variety of terrain such as pavement, grass, steep hills and obstacles which usually require the rider to dismount and carry their bike. Cyclo-cross racing is a test of bike handling skills as well as your aerobic endurance. Be sure to check out Sun Valley's calendar of events when planning your holiday to ensure you make the most of your vacation.