Idaho

Surprise! Idaho seems to be a popular vacation state. Who knew? Idaho is a northwestern U.S. state known for mountainous landscapes, and vast swaths of protected wilderness and outdoor recreation areas. 

 I think we’ve all seen the commercials for the Idaho Potato truck 

But Idaho is also know for gemstones. The mountains contain veins of gold, silver, lead, zinc, cobalt, copper, and many other rare minerals. Some of these rare minerals are gems like star garnets (the state gem), jasper, opal, jade, topaz, zircon, and tourmaline.

Places To Stay

So now that I know what Idaho is known for lets see what resorts  my timeshare has to offer.

The first resort to pop up is Elkhorn Inn located in Sun Valley. I’ve heard of Sun Valley but primarily for skiing in winter but the internet write ups seem to make summer a good time to visit too.

Summer in Sun Valley!

The City of Sun Valley sits at the edge of the Sawtooth and Challis National Forests; with the Big Wood River, a fisherman’s dream, running through the Wood River Valley.

Sun Valley enjoys a pleasant mountain desert climate.  With an average humidity of only 30%, and 15 inches of precipitation per year, the northern latitude creates long days, with 15 hours of sunshine in the summer, giving the resort community its well-deserved name.  Average summer temperature is 78 degrees.

Located in Central Idaho is Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve. I’ve wanted to visit Craters of the Moon and it looks like it’s about 1.5 hours from Sun Valley. Point for Elkhorn Resort.

How to get to Sun Valley

By Air:

The most convenient way to access Sun Valley by air is through the Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) in Hailey, a short 20-minute drive south of Sun Valley.  During peak season months, there are daily non-stop flights from Seattle, Los Angeles and Salt Lake City.  Please access Fly Sun Valley Alliance for flight schedules and ground transportation options to Sun Valley.

Other nearby airports include Twin Falls (90-mile south) and Boise (150-mile southwest).

By Ground:

Mountain Rides Transportation Authority runs public transportation for the Sun Valley area. Mountain Rides, a free town bus service, serves Warm Springs, Ketchum, Elkhorn, Dollar and River Run areas. In addition, to enable residents and visitors to get around the Wood River Valley in an economical and environmental friendly way, Mountain Rides operates the Valley Bus, serving Bellevue, Hailey, Ketchum and Sun Valley.

The 2nd Choice

Timbers at Island Park . This condominium style resort is located 22 miles from the West entrance of Yellowstone National Park.

I’ve actually been trying to get a reservation here for a couple of years so I think I’ll keep this near the top of the list and keep trying.  I want to explore Yellowstone from the West Entrance. My previous visit was from Wyoming which brought me into the park from the south. Yes, I got to see Old Faithful 

Getting There

The nearest commercial airports are 85 miles away in Idaho Falls, Idaho and 110 miles away in Bozeman, Montana. The resort is 22 miles south of West Yellowstone, Montana. From there is a car rental for the drive.