In 250 trips
Created by Sun Valley Ketchum
Pocatello/Idaho Falls to Sun Valley 2009
Day 1: Sun Valley is full of fun adventures - but you need no … More
Day 1: Sun Valley is full of fun adventures - but you need not wait until you get to Sun Valley for your adventure to begin. There are several spots of interest on the drive from Pocatello or Idaho Falls.
Those coming from Idaho Falls can stretch their legs at Hell's Half Acre, a 180-square-mile flow designated a National Natural Landmark 20 miles west of Idaho Falls.
For a bird's eye view, drive or hike up Big Southern Butte, the 7,576-foot volcanic dome that served as a landmark for Oregon-bound pioneers crossing the Snake River Plain during the mid-1800s. The butte is accessible out of Atomic City, turning into a four-wheel drive path as it ascends the butte.
EBR-1, or Experimental Breeder Reactor-1, sits just west of the US 20/US 26 junction. This unassuming red brick building became the first power plant to produce electricity using atomic energy in 1951. Visitors can take a self-guided tour of the reactor and its fuel rods from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory of which EBR-1 is a part covers a site two-thirds the size of Rhode Island. Tours are available by calling 208-526-0050.
Take the road less traveled out of Arco, following a county road opposite Pickle’s Place to Idaho’s Natural Bridge, an 80-foot-tall limestone arch on the shoulder of King Mountain. King Mountain is a favorite stepping-off point for hang-gliders who hold a hang-gliding championship here the third weekend in June.
It was 40 years ago this year that astronauts preparing to land on the moon visited Craters of the Moon National Monument 18 miles west of Arco to get a feel for what the lunar landscape might be like. Today, visitors can drive a 7-mile loop offering short hikes to bizarre formations of razor-sharp rock, climb an inferno cone and visit the Visitor's Center to learn why the Craters are expected to erupt again any moment.
Just west of Picabo is Silver Creek, a crystal clear spring-fed stream that offers great canoeing, wildlife watching, hiking and world-class trout fishing.
Day 2: Cast your fly into the Big Wood River. Or head down to Silver Creek Preserve, clear water spring that attracts anglers from around the world.
Spend the rest of the day hiking to Pioneer Cabin, which sits in a cirque of jagged peaks. Or take an easier hike along the on the Fox Creek or Chocolate Gulch loops.
Come evening, put up your feet and let Company of Fools make you laugh at The Liberty Theater, the
house that Bruce Willis and Demi Moore built in Hailey.
Day 3: No trip to Sun Valley would be complete without a drive north of Ketchum to the Galena Overlook, which offers a broad view of the Sawtooth Mountains, named for their resemblance to a saw. Go further, if you like, for a visit to the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery or a stop at Redfish Lake, a beautiful glacial mountain lake named for the red salmon that used to color the water.
Check out the Harriman Trail - relatively easy wide mountain bike trail parallels the highway between The Sawtooth National Recreation Area headquarters and Galena Lodge. And the SNRA offers wildlife exhibits for those who wish to stop to look at maps.
Back in town try your aim shooting clay pigeons at the Sun Valley Gun Club. Check out the current art festival. Or, maybe you’d just like to spread out a blanket and look up at the starry, starry night...
Those coming from Idaho Falls can stretch their legs at Hell's Half Acre, a 180-square-mile flow designated a National Natural Landmark 20 miles west of Idaho Falls.
For a bird's eye view, drive or hike up Big Southern Butte, the 7,576-foot volcanic dome that served as a landmark for Oregon-bound pioneers crossing the Snake River Plain during the mid-1800s. The butte is accessible out of Atomic City, turning into a four-wheel drive path as it ascends the butte.
EBR-1, or Experimental Breeder Reactor-1, sits just west of the US 20/US 26 junction. This unassuming red brick building became the first power plant to produce electricity using atomic energy in 1951. Visitors can take a self-guided tour of the reactor and its fuel rods from Memorial Day to Labor Day. The Idaho National Engineering Laboratory of which EBR-1 is a part covers a site two-thirds the size of Rhode Island. Tours are available by calling 208-526-0050.
Take the road less traveled out of Arco, following a county road opposite Pickle’s Place to Idaho’s Natural Bridge, an 80-foot-tall limestone arch on the shoulder of King Mountain. King Mountain is a favorite stepping-off point for hang-gliders who hold a hang-gliding championship here the third weekend in June.
It was 40 years ago this year that astronauts preparing to land on the moon visited Craters of the Moon National Monument 18 miles west of Arco to get a feel for what the lunar landscape might be like. Today, visitors can drive a 7-mile loop offering short hikes to bizarre formations of razor-sharp rock, climb an inferno cone and visit the Visitor's Center to learn why the Craters are expected to erupt again any moment.
Just west of Picabo is Silver Creek, a crystal clear spring-fed stream that offers great canoeing, wildlife watching, hiking and world-class trout fishing.
Day 2: Cast your fly into the Big Wood River. Or head down to Silver Creek Preserve, clear water spring that attracts anglers from around the world.
Spend the rest of the day hiking to Pioneer Cabin, which sits in a cirque of jagged peaks. Or take an easier hike along the on the Fox Creek or Chocolate Gulch loops.
Come evening, put up your feet and let Company of Fools make you laugh at The Liberty Theater, the
house that Bruce Willis and Demi Moore built in Hailey.
Day 3: No trip to Sun Valley would be complete without a drive north of Ketchum to the Galena Overlook, which offers a broad view of the Sawtooth Mountains, named for their resemblance to a saw. Go further, if you like, for a visit to the Sawtooth Fish Hatchery or a stop at Redfish Lake, a beautiful glacial mountain lake named for the red salmon that used to color the water.
Check out the Harriman Trail - relatively easy wide mountain bike trail parallels the highway between The Sawtooth National Recreation Area headquarters and Galena Lodge. And the SNRA offers wildlife exhibits for those who wish to stop to look at maps.
Back in town try your aim shooting clay pigeons at the Sun Valley Gun Club. Check out the current art festival. Or, maybe you’d just like to spread out a blanket and look up at the starry, starry night...
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