I can’t emphasize enough how much I enjoy being close to River Run. We walked to this base village of Sun Valley Ski Resort pretty much every other day we’ve been here. It’s obvious why the proximity is so great in the winter, but the summer recreation opportunities are abundant as well.
River Run is the starting point for some great hiking and biking. One of my favorite hikes is heading up the Bald Mountain Trail to the Overlook. It’s a solid 1,000 feet in climb and a good workout when done in as quick a tempo as possible. At the Overlook is a plaque reading, “They want’d t’ call th’ town Leadville, but the’ govrn’mnt said there was too many already. So they settled for Ketchum and I’m right proud they did. After all, I built th’ first cabin here back in ’79…Course th’ way th’ silver’s runnin’out, might not matter what th’ town’s name is anyhow.” Can’t beat the view from the Overlook. From the River Run base is also the terrific River Run trail which is open to up and down mountain bike traffic as well.
Biking, both mountain and road, is easily accessible from River Run as the paved, multi-use Wood River Trail runs right out front. So, we headed to Pete Lanes at the base of River Run, rented bikes (and did some shopping – there’s no better time to buy ski stuff than in the summer – can you say 50% off?). The Wood River Trail connects to the Sun Valley Trail (Elkhorn/Ketchum Loop), or continues on for 20 miles all the way down to Bellevue. We headed towards Hailey as far as we thought the girls could handle and turned back. The paved, private, safe trail is unmatched.
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The gondola runs from the base of River Run to the Roundhouse Lodge (serving guests a delicious lunch since 1939). We took it just for that, but many folks take it to the Roundhouse to begin their hike or mountain-bike the top of the mountain. The Christmas Chair runs during the summer as well, so anyone can get to the top of the mountain.
River
Run is also where you touch down if you’re brave enough to paraglide from the top of Baldy. Not me for sure, but my 8-year-old begged to go, and the Fly Sun Valley rep at the bottom of the mountain said they had a 7-year-old earlier in the day.
On the weekends, there are two yoga classes. The Bigwood River runs right by the Lodge, and there’s typically a fly fisherman or two on either side of the bridge. And lastly, there’s the spider bungee jump (a big favorite of the kids – yes, we bought a multi-use package.
Sadly
, this year we’ll miss Mavis Staples, Emmylou Harris and Lake Street Dive, who are all playing concerts at the River Run base on the grass. Next year we’ll plan a little better.
Lots to do; a tremendous source of recreation for the whole family.