Established in 1936 as America's first destination ski resort, Sun Valley Resort pairs the historic glamour of the Sun Valley Lodge and Tyrolean-style Inn with world-class mountain recreation, fine dining, and a storied legacy of Hollywood elegance.
Sun Valley Resort stands as America's original destination ski resort, established in 1936 by W. Averell Harriman, chairman of the Union Pacific Railroad. Seeking to boost passenger rail travel to the West, Harriman commissioned Austrian count Felix von Schaffgotsch to locate the perfect alpine setting. The count selected the 3,200-acre former Brass Ranch in the Wood River Valley, just outside the mining town of Ketchum. Architect Gilbert Stanley Underwood, renowned for his grand national park lodges, designed the iconic four-story Sun Valley Lodge. Constructed of poured concrete textured and stained to mimic rustic wood grain, the Lodge opened its doors on December 21, 1936. To transport skiers up the slopes of Proctor and Dollar Mountains, Union Pacific engineer Jim Curran developed the world's first chairlift, adapting a conveyor system originally designed to load bananas onto cargo ships.
The resort community features two distinct anchor properties: the grand Sun Valley Lodge and the more intimate, Swiss-style Sun Valley Inn. The Lodge, which underwent a major renovation in 2015, offers 108 spacious guest rooms and suites, including celebrity suites dedicated to famous past guests like Marilyn Monroe, Clint Eastwood, and Ernest Hemingway. It was in Room 206 of the Lodge that Hemingway spent the autumn of 1939 writing the majority of his novel, For Whom the Bell Tolls. The property also features a 20,000-square-foot spa, a year-round heated outdoor pool, and a historic 1930s bowling alley. Just across the pedestrian village square sits the Sun Valley Inn. Originally opened in 1937 as the Challenger Inn to provide a more affordable, Tyrolean-inspired alternative for families, the Inn was fully remodeled in 2018. It features 97 cozy, European-style rooms characterized by rich carpeting, marble bathrooms, and classic wood furnishings.
Dining at the resort is steeped in tradition, with several historic venues located right on the property. The Ram, which opened in 1938 as the resort's first restaurant, remains a beloved fixture inside the Sun Valley Inn, serving classic European fare like cheese fondue, Hungarian goulash, and Wiener schnitzel alongside nightly live piano music. Inside the Lodge, the legendary Duchin Lounge, named after Marjorie Duchin, serves signature cocktails and appetizers in a refined, mid-century setting overlooking the resort's famous year-round outdoor ice rink. For an on-mountain experience, guests can ride the Roundhouse Gondola to the historic Roundhouse, built in 1939 at an elevation of 7,700 feet on Bald Mountain, to dine beside its massive four-sided stone fireplace. From the manicured fairways of the 27-hole golf course designed by William P. Bell to the historic Trail Creek Cabin, the resort preserves the glamorous, old-school hospitality that first defined the American ski destination.
Request a stay in the Lodge's historic Room 206, where Ernest Hemingway wrote the majority of For Whom the Bell Tolls, or reserve a table at The Ram on a Wednesday night for their famous heritage Wiener schnitzel.
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