For those new to the area, “Sun Valley'' is our shorthand for the collective towns of the Wood River Valley. It's also the name of the first destination ski resort ever built in the United States, and Ernest Hemingway’s home for many years. The towns you’ll spend most time in are Ketchum (where RPI begins and ends) and Hailey, 11 miles to the south (where the airport sits). The Big Wood River runs through both. The area is also the ancestral home of the Shoshone-Bannock people.
The entire Sun Valley area is serviced by both air and ground transport. Hailey's airport (SUN) has flights from Salt Lake City, Seattle, San Francisco, and Los Angeles via SkyWest and Alaska Airlines. Should you need more flights from which to choose, Boise International (BOI) is a 2.5-hour drive to Ketchum with shuttle or rental car options. SunValley.com and VisitSunValley.com have trip planning pages to help you fill in the blanks and flush out your options.
Where To Stay
As for the mint-on-the-pillow side of things, we reached out to our local hostelries to see if they wouldn’t sweeten the pot for our honored RPI guests. We’ve got some discounts listed below. Don’t wait too long, though. Ketchum is still a small town, and we’ve got a limited amount of beds, especially with Wagon Days Parade happening the same weekend. This is not some yokel event; it’s the biggest non-motorized parade in the country, and people come from all over just to take it in. On top of that, there’s a clean 1,100 miles of single-track in the area, some of it in spitting distance of downtown.
To make your reservation at the Limelight Hotel please call (888) 218.3282 between the hours of 7am – 7 PM (MST), or email ketchumreservations@limelighthotels.com or book your room here. Please make sure to reference the group name Rebecca’s Private Idaho to receive the discounted rates.
August 25-September 5, 2024:
Up to a 25% discount applied to the published nightly Hotel Room Rate. Starting in Deluxe Rooms Categories and higher. As hotel occupancy increases to near sell out levels, this discount level may decrease (to 10% or 5%), guests will always receive a discount off of publicly published rates. It is CRITICAL that you call to book ASAP to take advantage of the best possible rates available. A three (3) night minimum length of stay will be required Rates will be extended three (3) days pre/post your event dates, based on availability
Rates are quoted per night. An 8% resort fee and 11% lodging tax will be added to the quoted guest room rate. Underground parking is available at $25.00 per vehicle per night.
Alpine Lodging is offering a 15% discount for bookings of at least three nights with the promo code RPI2024 and will donate 5% of all reservation revenue to the Be Good Foundation. This discount is valid May 1 - July 1 and Aug 25 - Dec 15. Promo code expires Dec 1, 2024. Click here to book your room online.
Hotel Ketchum is offering 20% off for all RPI guests; book online here to automatically apply your discount, or call 208-471-4716 and reference group: Rebecca's Private Idaho and rate plan RP30. A minimum stay of two nights is required, and cancelation is free if requested 30 days in advance.
Tamarack Lodge is offering 20% off for all RPI guests; book online here to automatically apply your discount, or call 208-726-3344 and reference group: Rebecca's Private Idaho and rate plan RP30. A minimum stay of two nights is required, and cancelation is free if requested 30 days in advance.
Camping is fairly abundant in the Sawtooth National Forest outside of town with designated campgrounds and dispersed camping. Because this is a holiday weekend, the regular campgrounds are full, but there is dispersed camping off almost every dirt road in the valley; almost all of these will be out of cellphone range, so be sure to allow enough time to drive around to find a spot.
Please don’t try any tent-pitching within city limits or you may find yourself booked in a different, less comfortable type of accommodation.
All national forest campgrounds should be open during the event weekend, though likely full; check www.recreation.gov for availability.
SUN VALLEY / KETCHUM HOTELS ON TRIP ADVISOR
Knob Hill Inn: (208) 726-8010
960 North Main Street, PO Box 1327, Ketchum, ID 83340
Tamarack Lodge: (208) 726-3344
291 Walnut Ave, Sun Valley, ID 83353
Sun Valley Lodge: (855) 894-7906
Sun Valley Road
Kentwood Lodge: (208) 726-4114
180 S Main St, Ketchum, ID 83340
Wood River Inn: (877) 542-0600 or (208) 578-0600
Hotel is in Hailey, about 12 miles from downtown Ketchum.
Hotel Ketchum: (208) 471-4716
600 N. Main St, Ketchum, ID 83340
Need to get your bike to Idaho? Use Bikeflights, the official bicycle shipping service of Rebecca’s Private Idaho. Bikeflights built a custom RPI Shipping Guide to streamline your event travel. All bookings are monitored by their expert team until delivery. Bikeflights also offers easy-to-pack boxes, packing how-to videos and excellent customer support. Ship the best way with Bikeflights.
Let some of our favorite local shops like Sturtevants and Trailhead Bicycles receive and build your bike so it's ride-ready for you when you roll into town. After the event, drop your trusty steed off with them and they'll break it down, re-box, and ship it back to you. ***Please ship your bike only!!! The shops will not be responsible for extra gear that is shipped with the bike. DO NOT ship helmets, shoes, tools, etc.
To set up bike shipping and building, follow these simple steps:
Don't want to ship your bike? Rent a bike from the local bike shop, Sturtevants.
