Sun Valley
Ski Resort · Sun Valley, Idaho
The first destination winter resort built in the United States, opened by the Union Pacific Railroad on 21 December 1936 to give its passenger trains somewhere in the west to go. The world's first chairlifts were installed here that autumn, on Proctor and Dollar mountains, after a Union Pacific engineer adapted the conveyor rig used to load bananas onto ships - every chairlift on earth descends from them. Bald Mountain behind the village carries 3,400 feet of almost uninterrupted fall-line pitch and is why skiers still come; a free classical music festival, a year-round outdoor ice rink and the Sawtooths an hour north are why the valley works in July as well as February.
1 Sun Valley Road, Sun Valley, Idaho, 83353, United States
Open year round. This is a resort village and a town, not a gated attraction, and it is free to walk into. BALD MOUNTAIN AND DOLLAR MOUNTAIN RUN A WINTER SKI SEASON of roughly late November to mid April, weather permitting, and Bald Mountain runs a SHORT SUMMER LIFT SEASON of roughly late June to early September for hikers, bikers and sightseers. The Roundhouse Express gondola turns in both seasons and takes foot passengers. THE OUTDOOR ICE RINK IS OPEN ALL YEAR. The Sun Valley Music Festival runs from late July into August at the Pavilion and every concert is free. ⚠ Season dates move with the snow and are published each autumn - check before booking around them.