family adventure in ketchum

 

 

We recently had the chance to take a family adventure in Ketchum, Idaho for the first time!

Growing up in Colorado, and now living near Aspen Snowmass, I have to admit I’ve always been pretty partial to our home state Rocky Mountain towns. But then again, it’s all I’ve really ever known. Even while we were living in Arizona, we would most often come back to Colorado for summers and skiing in the winter. But I love to explore and will never say no to a new adventure!

So this summer, when we were invited to stay at the Hotel Ketchum, I was excited to check out a different little mountain town. Ketchum is a quaint, charming spot, just a few miles from the base of the Sun Valley Ski Resort in the southern part of Idaho.

After our stay, our whole family is just in love with this place. It is stunningly picturesque, perfect weather in the summer, and boasts every outdoor recreation opportunity you can possibly think of. The kids are already asking if we can come back next summer for longer, or come in the winter and try skiing here.

Here are some of the highlights from our family adventure in Ketchum.

stay

We were so happy to be hosted by the Hotel Ketchum for our first time in the area. The location could not be more perfect, located right on Main Street near the edge of town and walking/biking distance to pretty much everything.

Before I get too much further, I have to share that Hotel Ketchum has offered my readers this exclusive booking link that gives you 15% off weekday rates and 10% off weekends! Valid only now through December 15, 2024, so be sure to book early for the best available rates and room options! 

We loved that Hotel Ketchum has several room and suite options to chose from for your family’s needs. We ended up in two rooms side by side, but that also were in a corner, so they had a little atrium with an extra door that locked off. The kids were in a Ketchum Double Queen. Not all queen rooms have this cute breakfast nook, so be sure to ask for that feature if you want it. Our room was a Baldy King Room, which also had a sleeper sofa in it, so we had plenty of room to spread out.

 

A few of the other family-friendly features of this property: First of all, they have breakfast included every day, and it’s really good, high quality breakfast. This is such a huge time and money saver when you have a family! And I, personally am a big breakfast eater, so I like to start my day with a hearty meal. Whenever all five of us are traveling together, I always seek out properties with this amenity.

The area where they offer breakfast is called the Hangout, and for the rest of the day it is a nice lounge area where you could have a drink, play some shuffleboard, or just relax with friends and family.

 

Just outside of the Hangout, is the Gear Garage, where in the summer you can borrow complementary e-bikes, stargazing materials, or play a quick game of bags. My kids were obsessed with these colorful sheep that were everywhere. In Southern Idaho, sheep outnumbered humans for many years and raising sheep is deeply rooted in the area’s history, which they celebrate here at the Hotel Ketchum.

 

Top it all off with additional amenities like free parking (we drove here), an outdoor heated swimming pool and hot tub, gym, and on-site ski and bike rentals! We hit the pool on two hot afternoons and it was the perfect way to cool off.

play

Well, we obviously had a lot of fun enjoying the amenities of Hotel Ketchum itself, but we did also venture out to explore more of the town of Ketchum, Sun Valley, and all they both had to offer. But outside of the hotel, around Ketchum, and in neighboring Sun Valley, there is even more fun to be had!

 

The kids and I  spent some time exploring the Wood River Trails, which is a paved cycling trail system that goes all around the area. The loop we did was about 8 miles total – starting in town in Ketchum, up through Sun Valley, and looping back around to Ketchum again – and relatively easy with some rolling hills and only a few steeper climbs. We brought our own bikes, but like I said, you can also rent them locally through Black Tie Ski Rentals. We also did a lot of riding around town and exploring.

If you are looking for more mountain biking – my husband and son did the White Clouds Loop and they said that trail was fun and pretty mellow.

On Wednesdays all summer long, you can catch the Ketchum Farmer’s Market from 12-4pm at Forrest Service Park in downtown. We swung by as we were walking around town on the week we were there. It’s a small market with just a handful of vendors and food trucks, but worth a peek!

On Tuesdays, there is also the free weekly summer concert series, Ketch’em Alive, also in Forrest Service Park. My husband and I ended up going for a bit solo, as the kids were absolutely pooped on this day. It was a fun, vibrant crowd of what felt like mostly locals.

 

We also had a great time just wandering around, shopping, and exploring the cute town of Ketchum. Pictured below is the rickshaw at Rickshaw, Hank & Sylvie’s, and Independent Goods.

 

If we would have had more time, I personally would’ve loved to explore some more hikes or taken a family horseback trail ride. The area also offers golf and fly fishing in the summer,two of my husband’s favorite activities. So I guess we will definitely have to come back again to explore more!

eat

One thing I was not prepared for was the food scene in Ketchum. Again, coming from another mountain town, where we don’t have a lot of options (and those we do have tend to be pretty expensive, read: overpriced), we don’t eat out often. But in Ketchum, there was a ton of variety and many at family-friendly price points.

We didn’t get to even try all the places that were recommended to us, but here are some of the places we did go, with a brief review and highlights of each for ya.

 

 

Located right inside the Hotel Ketchum, the convenience of Ramen Cowboy could not be beat! This is a quick serve spot where you can go in and order and they bring to your table. They kids enjoyed the plain ramen noodles and broth, and I enjoyed a glass of wine with my mushroom broth tofu ramen bowl. We sat out in the beautiful outdoor space to enjoy our casual dinner. 9/10

Right next door to Ramen Cowboy, you will find the Sweet Spot, which has taiyaki style ice cream in flavors like green tea. You can get it with these cute little koi fish cones too. The kids an I all had the sundae so we could get the koi fish and it also comes with your choice of Nutella or chocolate sauce inside. Sooo yummy 10/10

 

On our first night wandering through town, we stumbled upon the Pioneer Saloon right on Main Street and I am so glad we did! With a rich history dating back to the 1940s, it is full of old west charm, and lots of animal heads, haha. I will say as a (mostly) vegetarian, the menu was not as appealing to me. But the rest of my family loved the steak-and-potatoes kinda place that is was. The cocktails were delish! 7.5/10

 

Speaking of ice cream, another worthy sweet stop is Leroy’s Ice Cream, right at the heart of town in a little stand. There was a bit of a line, and they had run out of a couple of flavors by our turn, but the charm of it all was worth the wait. 9/10

 

One of my personal faves (again, mostly veg over here) was 4 Roots Kitchen, which was apparently new to the Ketchum area, although they also have a location in nearby Twin Falls. It’s a juice and smoothie bar type-of-a-place, also serving salads, bowls, and more. Lots of veggie and gluten free options in a quick serve style. 10/10

 

So many food options, especially considering this is a small town, and we for sure didn’t get to them all! For a list of more places to try, check out this link. We were very pleasantly surprised by the variety and again, affordable options when you have a big family are key.

 

If you are considering a summer family trip to the mountains, I would definitely add Ketchum and Sun Valley to your list! I honestly wasn’t sure what to expect from this trip, but this sweet little town charmed my pants off. As I have said several times already, our trip didn’t feel long enough, and we can’t wait to go back, next time for longer! Maybe we will even branch out of our home mountain town and try to get some skiing in here this winter.

If you have any questions, as always, drop them below in the comments! Or feel free to reach out on social media or email.