THE US SUN VALLEY DESTINATIONS
Just imagine it’s a furry bicycle.” I’m standing on a box about to mount a beautiful roan mare and our guide is trying to reassure the more nervous guests. The woman next to me looks doubtful. “Bicycles don’t have teeth,” she murmurs. But our steeds are the gentlest of creatures and extremely well-trained. That’s comforting, since we’re beginners about to trek the steep gradient up Sun Valley’s Dollar Mountain. After a two-minute tutorial on one-handed Western riding from our guides, we are on our way, winding slowly in line across a stony stream bed and up onto the mountain path. The air is so fresh you could gargle with it, and a cyan sky promises something glorious on the other side of the range. I soon adjust
“
to the gentle rhythm of my ride – treading this path several times a day, she needs little guidance. Soon the sun flares over the mountaintop and we reach a small rocky plateau. Wowing and sighs ensue. The town of Ketchum stretches out before us, pine-lined and peaceful, bordered by Sawtooth National Forest. Our equine escorts snort raspberries and nuzzle the long golden grass as we marvel at the view. Riding is one of the best
ways to see Sun Valley in the
Our equine escorts snort raspberries and nuzzle the long golden grass as we marvel at the view
skiers and family sleigh rides, but the summer and shoulder seasons have attractions of their own, and tend to be quieter. Surprised by the absence of saddle-soreness, I still opt for an epic bath back at Sun Valley Lodge. The suites have recently been refurbished to movie-star standards and it is possible to book the very room in which Hemingway wrote For Whom the Bell T
olls in 1939.
summertime, taking in the vast landscape at an easy pace, inhaling woody scents and drinking in the low desert sun. But if four legs aren’t for your clients, then golf, mountain biking, white-water rafting, ice skating (year-round) and countless other entertainments are on hand. Sun Valley is better known as a winter destination for serious
Hemingway is just one of the many famous guests who have frequented The Sun Valley Resort, and he also owned a property nearby where he ended his life. There are tales aplenty from locals and various sites to visit for literary and history pilgrims including the Hemingway Memorial, although his private home is not open to visitors.
5 November 2015
travelweekly.co.uk 59
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80