A Sun Valley Insider’s Guide to the South Valley
WHAT IS THE “SOUTH VALLEY”? Since the Wood River Valley - home of Ketchum, Sun Valley, Hailey, and Bellevue and beyond - is over 20 miles long, it can be helpful to think of the valley in segments. This guide focuses on the area from Hailey south all the way to Picabo, unofficially known as the South Valley. As a bonus, we added some points of interest along Hiway 20, which is not technically part of the Wood River Valley, but is certainly south and offers some pretty interesting attractions in its own right. The South Valley looks and feels different than the north end of the valley; it is wider, the vegetation more sparse, the winter weather milder, and the mountains a little less tall. Because of all these factors, by the time you get south of Bellevue, there is almost nothing to impede the sunshine! Surely, this is one of the main reasons people love living south of the Resort Core. Silver Creek in the Winter
Lupine in Democrat Gulch | Croy Canyon
The Bow Bridge in Hailey
Ski Touring in Croy Canyon
Cowcatcher Ridge above Bellevue
Holiday Lights on Main in Hailey
Of the Wood River Valley’s 25,000+ residents, more than 2/3 live in the South Valley. This concentration of population doesn’t feel all that congested, however, since there is simply more room for everyone. Think of the Wood River Valley as a steep triangle, with its top point at the SNRA, and the bottom points miles apart at Picabo to the east and the northern tip of Magic Reservoir at the western end. The goal of this guide is to help locals and folks new to the area or visiting realize that the South Valley is home to some remarkable attractions that, even if it weren’t in the shadow of Ketchum and Sun Valley, make it a terrific destination in its own right. Enjoy your explorations of the South Valley!
HAILEY Hailey, the seat of Blaine County, is where the “South Valley” starts. It is home to the government offices, the valley’s public high school, the local airport, and half of the valley’s population. Hailey has several distinct neighborhoods, including Old Hailey, Northridge, Deerfield, Woodside, Della View, and many more. Residents love Hailey because it is an incredibly easy city to navigate, and you are almost always within a few blocks of Main Street and the Big Wood River no matter where you are. Main Street, which has nearly every type of restaurant and store you could want, tends to be heavily trafficked, but almost every other street in town is residential and very quiet.
Night Skiing at Rotarun Ski Area Hop Porter Park in West Hailey
Fall Fly Fishing in the Big Wood River
INSIGHTS TO HAILEY REAL ESTATE Hailey is the most “traditional” of the area’s housing markets, with the highest concentration of Residential properties in the valley. Neighborhoods just to the north of town - many of which are equestrian properties carry the highest price tags and often have acreage. All of Hailey’s neighborhoods have seen property values increase greatly since the beginning of 2020. Recently, a number of workforce housing developments have sprung up on the west side of Main Street, and the expectation is that more will be built in the coming years to support the valley’s growing population. To the west and south, dozens of new units are being built, in developments like Sweetwater and Colorado Gulch to the south and Croy Creek Preserve and Three Creeks Crossing to the west.
Farmers’ Market in McKercher Park Carbonate Mountain Trail
Motorcycling on Croy Canyon Trails
ACCOMMODATIONS Airport Inn AmericInn Fairfield Inn Wood River Inn COFFEE Black Owl The Coffee House Hank & Sylvie’s Java Coffee NIGHTLIFE diVine The Mint Mule Shoe Red Shoe Sawtooth Brewery Sun Valley Brewery
RESTAURANTS Big Belly Deli CK’s Cowboy Cocina Dang’s Thai DaVinci Della Cafe Jersey Girl Jhony’s Peruvian Lago Azul PowerHouse Shorty’s Smokey Bone Tundra Wicked Spud WiseGuys Pizza Zou 75
POINTS OF INTEREST BCRD Center Blaine Cty Historical Museum Bloom Community Farm Bow Bridge Campion Ice House Carbonate Mountain Trail Community Campus Croy Canyon Trail System Draper Preserve Hailey Public Library Hailey Rodeo Grounds Heagle Park Hop Porter Park Quigley Pump Track Rotarun Ski Area Hailey Website
BELLEVUE
Dinner Time in the Triangle
Bellevue is the first town you come to when approaching Sun Valley from the south, and many visitors cruise right through it (at 25 MPH, strictly enforced!). A town of just under 3000 residents, the wide main street isn’t as picturesque as Hailey’s or Ketchum’s, so it’s easy to think you’re not missing much. On the contrary, Bellevue offers a much quieter and simpler quality of life than neighbors to the north. For starters, there are several access points to the Big Wood River for anglers, floaters, and beach-combers. There is also a surprising number of great restaurants, offering some of the valley’s best breakfast, burgers, and pizzas.
Bellevue in the Winter, Looking North
INSIGHTS TO BELLEVUE REAL ESTATE Since the middle of 2020, Bellevue has been the busiest micro-market in the entire valley, relatively speaking. Much of this activity involves vacant land, as there have been a couple of new developments the city has approved, which will allow Bellevue to grow in a thoughtful and sustainable manner over the next decade. Other neighborhoods have seen marked increases in property values as well, such as Muldoon Canyon, Chantrelle, and homes in Bellevue Farms, Griffin Ranch, and in the “Triangle”. Many of these properties are horse-friendly and come with acreage. List prices in the Bellevue area are well below what you find in Hailey and the Resort Core, so the town remains attractive for people looking to downsize, maximize their investment, and live in a less hectic, more open environment.
Baling Hay in the Triangle
Downtown Bellevue
Motorcycling in Townsend Gulch
Slaughterhouse Canyon Backroad
RESTAURANTS Fuego La Cabanita Lucy’s Mahoney’s Mama Inez Oak Street Deli Silver Dragon South Valley Pizza
ACCOMMODATIONS High Country Motel Long Horse Cabins Silver Creek Hotel NIGHTLIFE Mahoney’s Silver Dollar Saloon COFFEE Coffee Corner
POINTS OF INTEREST Bellevue Museum Howard Preserve Minnie Moore Mine Muldoon Canyon O’Donnell Park Poverty Flats/Rock Creek Slaughterhouse Canyon Townsend & Lee’s Gulches Bellevue Website
PICABO AND SILVER CREEK Hemingway loved Silver Creek. If you need more reason to explore this area, just ask anyone who has ever dipped a line in the magic waters of Silver Creek. The Picabo Angler offers everything you might need for a day on the creek, in the hills, or on the backroads (of which there are plenty). The options for unfettered outdoor activity - fishing, birding, hiking - are endless and endlessly rewarding. True Idaho exists in the Picabo and Silver Creek area.
Point of Rocks on Silver Creek
INSIGHTS TO PICABO REAL ESTATE First of all, there is a very limited amount of Residential real estate in the Picabo area, as the population is less than 200, and much of the surrounding land is BLM or otherwise publicly held. The smattering of homes in the area are primarily small residences, though there are a few large ranches. More land has become available since 2020, as the valley continues to spread southward. Perhaps Picabo will see some growth in the years to come because of the pressures on housing and space in the rest of the Wood River Valley.
Winter Fishing on Silver Creek Picabo Angler Store and Picabo Airstrip
Silver Creek Preserve Interpretive Center
Fly Fishing on Silver Creek RESTAURANT Picabo Angler Picabo Website
ACCOMMODATIONS Area Campgrounds Picabo Angler RV Park
POINTS OF INTEREST Silver Creek Silver Creek Preserve
HIWAY 20 Technically speaking, this area is not part of Sun Valley or the South Valley, but it is still part of our local MLS, and certainly worth a day or four of exploring. Hiway 20 is about 30 miles south of Ketchum, running east and west. East of Picabo is the town of Carey (gas up!) and world-renowned Craters of the Moon National Monument. Heading west on Hiway 20, you’ll enter the gorgeous Camas Prairie, which explodes with carpets of the elegant Camas Lily every spring. Other highlights include Soldier Mountain, a few miles north of Fairfield, and Gooding City of Rocks, about 25 miles south, on Hiway 46. The best approach to any of these areas is to go with an explorer’s heart and mind, as well as some provisions and a good map. Dirt roads, wildlife, abandoned buildings, and stark, secluded landscapes are the reward!
Camas Lilies on the Camas Prairie
Craters of the Moon
Abandoned Buildings Along Hiway 20 Soldier Mountain Ski Area in Fairfield
Camas Lilies and the Soldier Mountains Gooding City of Rocks
“What do I love about the South Valley? I’ll keep my favorite parts of it secret, but it’s hard to beat having all this space and sunshine with such easy access to the ski area and resort. For me, a near-perfect South Valley day would be a pink sunrise, breakfast at Lucy’s or Cowboy Cocina, walk the dogs in Draper Preserve, a bike ride up Two Dog in Croy Canyon, and then dinner at Lago Azul. Followed by music and a drink at Mahoney’s, and then home under the beautifully dark skies.” -A South Valley resident
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