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 The Big Lost 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 The Big Lost 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 number of beds. 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 7 AM – 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.
September 7-September 15, 2026:
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%), but 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 and will donate 5% of all reservation revenue to the Be Good Foundation. This discount is valid from Aug 26 - Sep 13. Click here to book your room online.
Hotel Ketchum is offering a special rate for Rebecca's Private Idaho participants. Book online here to receive your discount. The earlier you book, the better the rate will be! This is an online-only rate. Two-night minimum stay required, 20-day cancellation policy.
Tamarack Lodge is offering 20% off for all Big Lost 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 cancellation is free if requested 30 days in advance.
Wood River Inn: (877) 542-0600 or (208) 578-0600
The hotel is in Hailey, about 12 miles from downtown Ketchum. Use promo code BIGLOST27. Discount is valid from September 7-14, 2026.
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
Hotel Ketchum: (208) 471-4716
600 N. Main St, Ketchum, ID 83340
Don't want to ship your bike? Rent a bike from the local bike shop, Sturtevants. Contact them for pricing.
