Sun Valley Blog

Photo courtesy of Marrit Wolfrom

By BlogSunValley staff

Sun Valley and its surrounds have long been known for world-class hiking. To help get hikers of any age on the right path, we’ll spend the warm weather months highlighting local and regional trails of all kinds.

Here, we offer up some great hikes for little feet.

Three Easy Hikes (for kids up to 5)

Sunnyside Trail/ Adams Gulch

Close proximity to Ketchum and numerous trail options make the Adams Gulch trail system a local fave. Wee walkers will love chasing grasshoppers down the gently rolling Sunnyside Trail, which winds through sage fields and aspen groves. (2 miles; modest vertical gain). Getting there: From Ketchum, drive north on Highway 75 for 1.6 miles. Turn left onto Adams Gulch Road and continue 0.9 miles to the trailhead. (Open to hikers, bikers and  horses.)

Waterfall Trail to Fall Creek Falls

A short, easy stroll along a gravel path takes you to a wooden platform overlooking a spectacular 25-foot waterfall. Bring binoculars to look for mountain goats, frequently spotted on mountains to the north. (1.2 miles; 280 ft. vertical gain). Getting there: From Ketchum, head east on Sun Valley/Trail Creek Road for 22.5 miles. Turn right at the Wildhorse/Copper Basin turnoff. Go 2.2 miles and turn left at the T-junction for Wildhorse Canyon. Go 3.4 miles to the Left Fork Junction. Turn left and continue 0.4 miles to the trailhead. (Open to hikers, bikers, horses and motocross.)

Prairie Creek 

This relatively flat out-and-back weaves through shady forest and sprawling meadows. After 1.6 miles, you’ll hit a small gravel beach that’s a fun destination (and perfect turn-around spot) for fledgling hikers. Warning: Toddlers may need to be carried part way and over stream crossings. (3.2 miles; modest vertical gain). Getting there: From Ketchum, drive north on Highway 75 for 18.6 miles. Turn left on Prairie Creek Road and continue 2.6 miles to the trailhead. (Open to hikers, bikers, horses and motocross.)

[For more information on these and a dozen other family friendly hikes please check out SVM 360o magazine’s “Take A Hike”section.]

Top 5 Ways to Spoil Mom in Sun Valley this Mother’s Day

By Laurie Sammis

Mother’s Day is nearly 100 years old. Declared an official national holiday by President Woodrow Wilson in 1914, Mothers Day began in the United States after Anna Jarvis of Philadelphia began a campaign to set aside a day just for mothers. Her mother had died and Anna wanted all mothers to be remembered with a day of quiet reflection and family. But mother’s have been celebrated since the time of the ancient greeks, who used to honor Rhea, “Queen of heaven” and “mother of the gods” in the springtime with flowers, sweet honey cakes and fine drinks at dawn.

Perfect. It sounds like the beginning of the Mother’s Day tradition of breakfast in bed.

But if you really want to indulge mom this Mother’s Day, book the special Mother’s Day Package at Sun Valley Resort and give her a weekend to remember. This exceptional weekend package includes Saturday night’s lodging in the Sun Valley Lodge or Inn, Sunday Brunch for two and a one-hour massage. The Sunday Brunch is not to be missed and offers a lavish display of breakfast specialties including omelet and crepe stations, seafood, an array of gourmet salads and a symphony of desserts.

And don’t forget the pre- or post-massage soak in the Sun Valley Lodge heated outdoor pool—with poolside cocktail service and the expansive blue Idaho skies, it is a unique extravagance (and a local tradition)!

Looking for some other things for mom to do while she is enjoying her weekend indulgence in Sun Valley? Here are a few ideas to help make her day.

1) Let her be Sonja Henie for a Day

The beautiful Sun Valley Outdoor Ice Rink is an original Sun Valley Story and the location for the 1941 academy award nominated musical “Sun Valley Serenade” staring Sonja Henie, John Payne, Milton Berle, Glenn Miller and Lynn Bari. Let mom don white figure skates and twirl and dip around the outdoor rink to the sounds of the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Follow it up with a cocktail on the Lodge terrace or in the historic Duchin Lounge. Or bring the whole family and let mom skate with the kids for her own personalized version of Disney on Ice.

2) Enjoy a Historical Tour and Picnic at Trail Creek

The Ketchum / Sun Valley Heritage and Ski Musuem features information and historical tours of the area, along with amazing exhibits with photos and memorabilia on everything from the early days of skiing in America to author Ernest Hemingway’s years in Idaho. Visit their Hemingway in Sun Valley [http://ksvhs.com/?page_id=403] page for more information on where to go to touch a little of the history related to the celebrated author and visit a few local institutions at the same time—the Sun Valley Lodge, Trail Creek Cabin, the Casino Club, the Ketchum Korral, etc. Visit the Hemingway Memorial and picnic alongside Trail Creek (grab provisions from the Sun Valley Deli).

3) Bike to Lunch at the Sun Valley Club

The views are spectacular and the wrap-around terraces overlooking the 18-hole Sawtooth Putting Course (a great place for kids and new golfers to practice) and the Trail Creek Golf Course are perfect for sipping Bloody Marys outside when the weather is nice. And it is a short bike ride (or walk) from the lodge—with the Ernest Hemingway Memorial is just a short pedal along Trail Creek Road.

4) Indulge Her with some Retail Therapy

Don’t miss the village shopping—with 15 unique shops for every need, from specialty hand-dipped chocolates to jewelry, unique toys, gift items and designer fashions at the Brass Ranch (for the largest collection of European and American ski and sportswear, including Arc‘teryx, Bogner, Canada Goose, Eider, JetSet, Kjus, Moncler, Ralph Lauren, Rossignol, Toni Sailer and more) or Panache (with big designer names like Nanette Lapore, Brunello Cucinelli, Chan Luu, Elizabeth & James and Diane Von Furstenberg, who makes a personal appearance for their annual fashion show fundraiser every summer).

Looking for the latest cool finds, local shopping deals and steals, check out Sun Valley Magazine’s weekly SWAG blog to make sure you don’t miss a thing.

5) Pamper Her with a Spa Day

Book a bevy of services through the Sun Valley Spa and give mom a day of indulgence. Start with a hike in the morning (there are several within easy walking distance of the lodge) and then give her a head-to-toe makeover with a manicure / pedicure, followed by a facial and a 90-minute Sun Stone “Hot Stone Therapy” massage or herbal body wrap. Heaven!

So spoil mom this year in all the ways she deserves and enjoy everything Sun Valley has to offer.

Sun Valley’s courses designed by one of the sport’s best

By Mike McKenna

Trail Creek, Hole #18

When you get right down to it, it’s actually easier to make it as a professional golfer than it is as a professional golf course architect.

Don Knott is one of those lucky few people with the talent and tenacity to make the cut as a professional golf course architect. But he hasn’t simply made the cut.

Don has become one of the most highly respected golf course architects of all time. If there were a Master’s Tournament for golf course designers, Don–-who designed Sun Valley’s White Clouds course and redesigned Trail Creek—would get a lifetime exemption.

Don Knott designs his golf courses to fit within the natural landscape

“Golf is still golf”

Don didn’t always have a love affair with golf. A collegiate All-American swimmer at UC Berkeley, the Northern California native didn’t pick up the game until graduate school.

He started playing Berkeley’s course simply because he loved the outdoors and had a passion for landscape design. Don quickly got hooked on the game and could often be seen riding his motorcycle to the local college course, carrying his clubs on his back.

Knott landed an internship with the legendary Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects (RTJ2)  in Palo Alto, California. He quickly made his mark in the company and was hired on, eventually becoming RTJ2’s Lead Project Architect and Senior Vice President of Design, spending the next 26 years helping the firm to construct golf courses all over the world.

“The game is pretty traditional. It’s been 18 holes for a long time,” Don explains. “Golf is still golf. People still hit the ball the same way as they always have. The key to all great courses isn’t how much money they cost to build, it’s that they fit into the natural landscape. A good golf course design makes it look like you haven’t moved any dirt to make it, at least that’s the goal.”

“There has to be magic”

Spanish Bay at Pebble Beach,  The National Golf Club of Australia, The Prince Course in Hawaii, and Jug Mountain Ranch in McCall are some of Don’s most celebrated designs.

“It’s hard to build a bad course on a great location,” Don explains. “But there has to be magic to the location if it’s going to be a truly special course. There’s a reason Pebble Beach is so famous.

“Of course, you have to have nice views. But there should also be a wee bit of mystery and intrigue,” Don explains. “The origins of the game are not based on scoring. The origins of golf are that it’s an obstacle course through nature. You hit the ball and then you go see what your fate is.”

“Idaho is just spectacular”

“I still love the game and play when I can,” says Don, who left RTJ2 in 1999 to found the Knott & Linn Golf Design Group with fellow golf course designer, Gary Linn.

The breathtaking view from the White Clouds course, Hole #4

Based in Mountain View, California, they are busy building courses across the globe, but one of Don’s favorite places to swing the sticks is still Idaho.

“Jug Mountain Ranch in McCall is one of my favorite spots, and the 360º view you get at the courses in Sun Valley makes it a really special place,” says Knott, who travels to the Wood River Valley each Summer to play in the Danny Thompson Memorial.

“The whole mountain scene in Idaho is just spectacular,” Don declares, professing the type of admiration for the Gem State that golfers all over the world have for his work.

There may be more than 28 million golfers in America alone, but there’s only one Don Knott, and players all over the country—and especially in Idaho—are certainly happy he made the cut as a golf course architect.

Ketch’em Alive Free Concerts

Every Tuesday

June 26 – August 21

7m–9pm

The local’s favorite concert series, “Ketch’em Alive,” is returning every Tuesday evening from 7 until 9 pm at the Forrest Service Park in downtown Ketchum.   There will be dancing, music, and a funfilled community party.  Picnics are encouraged; food and drink will be sold in the park as well.   Nationally touring bands will play rock, reggae, world beat, Americana, folk, etc.   “Ketch’em Alive” starts June 26th and continues until August 21st.

12 Hours of Om

Saturday, July 14, 2012

How about complimentary yoga classes every hour from 7am – 7pm on the Ketchum Town Square, led by a variety of the valley’s top local yoga teachers and maybe a surprise guest instructor or two! Music, healthy food & drink, special prizes and more will round out this inspiring day. This is a new FUNraising event so donations will be gratefully accepted to support the SV Wellness Institute.
Presented in partnership with lululemon athletica.

35th Annual Northern Rockies Folk Festival

Hop Porter Park, Hailey

Friday, August 3–4, 2012

Ernest Hemingway Symposium

Thursday, October 18–21, 2012

The 4th annual Ernest Hemingway Symposium theme is “Hemingway and Politics,” focusing on Ernest Hemingway’s life and writing were influenced by the world in which he lived, and how he may have used his writing to change that world.

The Symposium consists of lectures and discussions by esteemed scholars and speakers, film screenings, a tour of local Hemingway “haunts,” and museum and photo displays. All of the Symposium events are free and open to the public.

Sponsored by Boise State University and the Community Library.

The Family of Woman Film Festival

Friday, March 1, 2013 – Sunday, March 3, 2013

The 6th Annual Family of Woman Film Festival, in support of the United Nations Population Fund.  5 films will be presented at the Sun Valley Opera House.  Doumentaries and dramas from around the world illustrating the status of women.   Evenings at 7 PM.  Matinees at 3 PM.

For more information, visist:  familyofwomanfilmfestival.org 

Contact:  Peggy Goldwyn:  (208)  622-1554

Gallery Walk Guided Tour

Friday, August 31.2012

5pm–7pm

Join Wendy Jaquet on Gallery Walk night for a guided tour, starting at the Sun Valley Recreation Office.  We’ll travel by public transportation and visit about nine galleries.

Approx ~ 2 hours

For more information, call 622-2135

The Sun Valley Shakespeare Festival

Thursday, August 16, 2012

The nexStage Theatre’s 12th season of the Sun Valley Shakespeare Festival in downtown Ketchum opens August 16th 2012.

Shakespeare’s “Love’s Labour’s Lost” plays Thurs – Sun, August 16th thru August 26th, on the outdoor stage in the Ketchum Forest Service Park.

Love’s Labour’s Lost is the story of the Princess of France and her company of ladies, who tell the men wooing them that they must wait and undergo tests to prove that their love is not simply infatuation. The men then decide to isolate themselves for three years of study, vowing that they will keep no company with women during this time. Love’s Labour’s Lost is thought of as Shakespeare’s most flamboyantly intellectual play, abounding in sophisticated wordplay, puns and literary allusions.

Also featured in this year’s festival will be a new production of: “The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged)” written by The Reduced Shakespeare Company

“The Bible: The Complete Word of God (abridged)” plays during the Sun Valley Shakespeare Festival at the nexStage Theatre, 120 S Main Street, Ketchum.  Times and dates of the show TBA

From Fig Leaves to Final Judgment…The Good Book Just Got Better! An affectionate, irreverent roller coaster ride from fig leaves to Final Judgment as three comic actors tackle the great theological questions: Did Adam and Eve have navels? Did Moses really look like Charlton Heston? And why isn’t the word “phonetic” spelled the way it sounds? Whether you are Catholic or Atheist, Muslim or Jew, Protestant or Purple People Eater, you will be tickled by this romp through old time religion.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE FESTIVAL:

Tickets are $20 (general admission) by phone: 726-4TKS, from the box office at the nexStage Theatre, 120 S Main Street, Ketchum, Idaho 83340 or on site at the Forest Service Park at 5:30 pm before each performance at 6 pm.  Picnics, blankets & low chairs are welcome in addition to stadium seating. For children 12 years and under there is no charge, thanks to nexStage’s outreach program and the sponsorship of local businesses and the Idaho Commission for the Arts, who are helping to underwrite the SVSF this 12th year.  For more information: 208 726-9124 or www.nexstagetheatre.org