Sun Valley, United States
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About Sun Valley
Village 1,783 m. Facts: verified.
A ski resort with its village at 1,783 m and its top at 2,780 m. It has 79 km of runs and 12 lifts, as mapped on OpenStreetMap. The runs drop 1,025 m, from 2,780 m to 1,755 m. For beginners and families: 65% of the km of runs are green or blue (beginner to intermediate). For experts: 28 km of advanced, expert and freeride runs. Within 5 km of the village: a public pool, an ice rink and a ski school. It is usually in season from December to April. The snow is usually deepest in March, about 1.1 m at the top (2,780 m). For skiers the best month is usually March, with about 4 good days in 7. From the weather of past years. The town to stay in is Ketchum.
Ketchum is a city in the western United States, located in Blaine County, Idaho. In the central part of the state, the population was 3,551 at the 2020 census, up from 2,689 in 2010. Located in the Wood River Valley, Ketchum is adjacent to Sun Valley and the communities share many resources: both sit in the same valley beneath Bald Mountain, with its skiing. The city also draws tourists to its fishing, hiking, trail riding, tennis, shopping, art galleries, and more. Air travel is through Friedman Memorial Airport in Hailey, approximately fifteen miles (24 km) south.
From the Wikipedia article Ketchum, Idaho, shortened. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.
The ski area
Runs from 1,755 m to 2,780 m: 1,025 m of vertical. 79 km of runs and 12 lifts, as mapped on OpenStreetMap for Sun Valley - Bald Mountain.
| Easy | 33 km |
|---|---|
| Intermediate | 19 km |
| Advanced | 28 km |
| Gondolas and cable cars | 1 |
|---|---|
| Chairlifts | 10 |
| Magic carpets | 1 |
Measured along each mapped run, so it can differ from the resort's own figure. Ski area data © OpenSkiMap.org and OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
For families
65% of the km of runs are green or blue (beginner to intermediate).
Within 5 km of the village:
- a public pool: Olympic Pool, 2 km
- an ice rink: Christina Potters Outdoor Ice Rink, 0.8 km
- a ski school: Mountain Dreamworks, 0.3 km
The Family filter counts these. Places from the Overture Maps Foundation, from Meta, Microsoft, Foursquare and AllThePlaces. Foursquare data © 2024 Foursquare Labs, Inc., Apache 2.0. Check opening times before you go.
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Book the trip
From Chicago: about 6 h 15 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.
Fly. ORD to SUN, direct.
See flights ORD → SUN · Skyscanner from about £185 returnAdGetting there. 50 min from the airport to Sun Valley.
Accommodation.
Stay in KetchumAd
Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.
Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).
See all places to stay in Ketchum (ad) on Booking.com →Closest towns to stay in
Ketchum 1 min by car · rooms from £80 a night · where Sun Valley stays
Places to stay in Ketchum · Booking.com Ad
Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.
Hire, lessons and lift passes.
Ski lessons in Ketchum · GetYourGuideAdSki and board hire · SkisetAd
Budget 
Mid-range 
Luxury Where it is
Sun Valley on Google Maps · Directions
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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Lifts closed for the season. They usually open about 25 November.
Forecast
The score, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoor
| Day | Score | Fresh72 h | Depthtop, mid, base | Coldestat top | Windat top |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sun 18Oct | 0, poor | 0 cm | 0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m | 3°C | wind, 10 knots |
| Mon 19Oct | 0, poor | 0 cm | 0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m | 1°C | wind, 11 knots |
| Tue 20Oct | 0, poor | 0 cm | 0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m | 2°C | wind, 9 knots |
| Wed 21Oct | 0, poor | 0 cm | 0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m | 4°C | wind, 9 knots |
| Thu 22Oct | 0, poor | 0 cm | 0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m | 4°C | wind, 5 knots |
| Fri 23Oct | 0, poor | 0 cm | 0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m | 3°C | wind, 6 knots |
| Sat 24Oct | 0, poor | 0 cm | 0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m | 1°C | wind, 10 knots |
| Sun 25Oct | 0, poor | 0 cm | 0 mmid 0 mbase 0 m | 0°C | wind, 23 knots |
Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to.
Snow by month
| Month | Base1,783 m | Mid2,282 m | Top2,780 m | Coldestat the top |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov | none | 0.1 m | 0.1 m | -8°C |
| Dec | 0.3 m | 0.4 m | 0.5 m | -13°C |
| Jan | 0.6 m | 0.7 m | 0.8 m | -14°C |
| Feb | 0.8 m | 0.9 m | 0.9 m | -13°C |
| Mar | 0.9 m | 1.0 m | 1.1 m | -10°C |
| Apr | 0.5 m | 0.9 m | 1.0 m | -6°C |
| May | none | 0.3 m | 0.5 m | -1°C |
Typical snow on the ground in the village, halfway up and at the top: the middle value over 2016 to 2025, from ERA5-Land reanalysis at the grid cell nearest each height. Not a forecast, and not the groomed pistes: resorts make snow lower down.
Your trip, day by day
6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago. Change dates
- Mon 19 OctTravel out
Direct flight ORD to SUN, then 50 min by road. About 6h 15 door to door
- Tue 20 OctLifts closed
Out of season.
- Wed 21 OctLifts closed
Out of season.
- Thu 22 OctLifts closed
Out of season.
- Fri 23 OctLifts closed
Out of season.
- Sat 24 OctLifts closed
Out of season.
- Sun 25 OctTravel home
Direct flight ORD to SUN, then 50 min by road. About 6h 15 door to door
Rough cost
About £1,930–£3,030 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.
| What | How we worked it out | Each |
|---|---|---|
| Flights | return ORD to SUN, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag | £185–£380 |
| To the UK airport | parking or the train, there and back | £35–£65 |
| Transfer | shared airport transfer, return | £70–£120 |
| Stay | 6 nights, a mid-range double, shared | £215–£360 |
| Food | 7 days eating out | £260–£480 |
| Lift pass | 5 days | £1,000–£1,350 |
| Ski hire | 5 days, or about £85 to fly your own | £165–£275 |
| Total | £1,930–£3,030 |
Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.
Book the trip
Airport to resortAd
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