Sky, Seasons, and Vibes: a Citizen’s Guide to Sun Valley, Idaho
Living in a city doesn’t mean you can never leave the city.
City dweller at its core means that you thrive on the energy and pace of city life, and you will probably always be there. But sometimes you want to visit a place where you can, say, look at the clear night sky.
A place like Sun Valley, Idaho.
“It’s breathtaking,” says Candice Pate, director of the Sun Valley Film Festival , of the night sky over the city. “There are literally nights when I’m doing something mundane, like taking out the trash, and I look up and I’m out of breath.”
Sun Valley’s small population (about 21,000 for all of Blaine County, Idaho), the clean mountain air, and the entire community’s commitment to limiting light pollution combine to make its night sky truly spectacular, even deserving a place as a dark sky preserve . Once you see the Milky Way twinkling in the southwest quadrant of the Sun Valley sky, you’ll know what it is.
And that’s just one of the reasons Sun Valley is the perfect place to recharge, reset, mentally-healthy city dwellers who have lived in the city all their lives but just need a break. Here are a few more.
Summer in the valley . Sun Valley is famous for its skiing—in fact, it’s home to America’s first ski lift, which opened in 1936 next to the legendary Sun Valley Lodge. But the locals live on the street all year round. Summer is all about mountain biking, fishing, hiking, outdoor concerts—anything to take advantage of the long twilight (also known as twilight), the time after sunset but before it gets dark. In the summer in Sun Valley, twilight can stretch until 10:00 pm.
And if a summer walk around the city is accompanied by the sounds of sirens and beeps, then in the Sun Valley you can see wild flowers everywhere.
“I fell in love with wildflowers and enjoy watching them bloom – due to the elevation difference between the south and north valleys, you can find wildflowers from April to November,” says Christine Poole, longtime resident and artistic director of the Sun Valley Museum. . Art .
Cool calm autumn. Many locals insist that autumn is the true MVP of the Sun Valley season.
“Autumn is Sun Valley’s best-kept secret,” says Pate. “Golden leaves, warm days and cold nights. The perfect match. Epic bike rides during the day and hot dinners by the fireplace in the evening. I can’t win.”
You’ll also find smaller, more relaxed crowds – just what townspeople need from time to time.
“In the summer, we all go a little crazy trying to cram in everything from camping trips to cocktail parties with friends to theater and a writers conference,” Poole says. “Autumn is quieter, cooler, and there are fewer people on the trails and in the city.”
And you’ll see something you’ll never see in a city, or maybe you’ve never even heard of unless you grew up in a mountain town: boletus, the name given to the glow on mountain peaks at dawn and dusk.
“Experiencing the range of subtle changes in color and light is a treat, whether you’re walking outside in the early morning or at dusk,” Poole says.
That Sun Valley vibe. It can be difficult to strike a balance when living in a city when the demands of work and life can make you feel out of your element. In Sun Valley, the whole vibe of the city is geared towards escaping the hustle and bustle.
“We are honored to live in a place where the land and the locals alike support a balanced life, where we share a respect for outdoor time and how beneficial it is for our jobs, our families and our souls,” says Poole.
And the locals make sure that the vibe spreads to everyone, even visitors.
“While beauty and access to world-class outdoor activities are essential to wellbeing, I think it is perhaps more valuable that we continue to be a small city that is focused on the wellbeing of the community, our neighbors and like-minded visitors. “. says Olin Glenn, owner of Sturtevants , a ski and bike shop located at several points in the city.
What does it mean to be “of one mind”? This means embracing “mountain culture” rather than expecting everything to work at an urban pace. Things might go a little slower, but you can pass the time by taking a deep breath of the fresh mountain air or by counting the stars in the night sky. Sometimes culture shock can be helpful.
This is the charm of Sun Valley. Citizens will also like this in Sun Valley: there are not many standard places that look like chain restaurants. Instead, there are many local hotels, shops, restaurants, art galleries and even breweries, which gives the area a unique identity.
And if you come here in October, you will see something that you will definitely never see in the city: 1500 sheep walking around the city, migrating from the mountains to their winter pastures while hunting sheep .
“Tracking sheep is fun,” Pate says. “Seeing all those sheep walking down the main street never gets old.”
Don’t forget about winter! Yes, Sun Valley is fun and exciting all year round, but don’t forget that it’s also a legendary place during the snowy season. A winter visit can include all sorts of cold pleasures, from Nordic skiing and snowshoeing to ice skating and laid-back sledding through the snow-covered hills. Need a little more adrenaline? Try heli-skiing (that’s what it sounds like) or snowmobiling.
Read more about Sun Valley here .