Sun Valley vs. Colorado resort towns for summer living? (Salmon: ski resort, real estate)

[ctr88]

Has anyone spent summers in BOTH Sun Valley/Ketchum and Colorado resort towns such as Vail, Aspen, Steamboat Springs, Telluride and Crested Butte? I live in CA and I have a job where I can work from anywhere a lot of the year and I want to start spending a 4-6 weeks living in a really scenic mountain town that also has a decent amount of stuff to do. I'm a single 41 year old male.

Checking the short term rentals the Ketchum/Sun Valley area seems to be a lot more reasonable than the Colorado resort towns. I have been to Sun Valley briefly just driving through, and also Aspen 17 years ago and Telluride briefly. Have never been to Vail, Crested or Steamboat. I think the views right in the towns of Aspen and Telluride might be slightly prettier than Sun Valley as the mountains are more vertical. But I think north of Sun Valley around Stanley is as pretty as anywhere.

Just looking for a place to de-stress and golf, hike, chill and drink some pints at the local pub.

[TohobitPeak]

I've lived in Sun Valley for 5 summers and recommend it over CO in a big way.
Gotta run, but will get back with more comments later

[jwest09]

Originally Posted by ctr88

Has anyone spent summers in BOTH Sun Valley/Ketchum and Colorado resort towns such as Vail, Aspen, Steamboat Springs, Telluride and Crested Butte? I live in CA and I have a job where I can work from anywhere a lot of the year and I want to start spending a 4-6 weeks living in a really scenic mountain town that also has a decent amount of stuff to do. I'm a single 41 year old male.

Checking the short term rentals the Ketchum/Sun Valley area seems to be a lot more reasonable than the Colorado resort towns. I have been to Sun Valley briefly just driving through, and also Aspen 17 years ago and Telluride briefly. Have never been to Vail, Crested or Steamboat. I think the views right in the towns of Aspen and Telluride might be slightly prettier than Sun Valley as the mountains are more vertical. But I think north of Sun Valley around Stanley is as pretty as anywhere.

Just looking for a place to de-stress and golf, hike, chill and drink some pints at the local pub.

I think the Sun Valley/Ketchum area is more beautiful than Aspen, in a different way. More of a mountain/desert, sagebrush feel to it, witch I like. 2000 ft. lower in elevation, and dryer in the summer months, than Aspen... Also less crowded.

[TohobitPeak]

Back with more info.
Sun Valley and Ketchum do have tall vertical mountains above the narrow valley, The Boulders and Pioneers, but they can be hidden from view by the lower foothills depending on where you are in the valley, especially the actual Sun Valley Resort grounds. If you are in the Warm Springs area of Ketchum you can see the tall peaks of the Pioneers and the Boulders can be seen from much of Ketchum.

The drive east of Sun Valley up Trail Creek is beautiful, the drive west out of Ketchum on Warm Springs is beautiful, and of course heading north of Ketchum, just barely outside of city limits, you can see side roads that enter the Boulder Mountains and this area heading to Stanley is as beautiful as any mountain area you can encounter. The mountains and forests by and near Sun Valley are imo much more pristine, wild, and have more verdant deeper forests than you will find in Colorado. There is sage on the lower foothills, and the alpine forested scenery is out of this world. If you like water activities, like lakes and rivers then Sun Valley is the obvious choice, plenty of this near and in the valley. The Wood River runs the length of the valley with a paved bike greenbelt path.

Sun Valley is a fun place in summer because of the incomparable outdoor activities that can be done there, the golfing is great, mountain biking there is some of the best of any alpine ski area, and the restaurant scene and pubs are of course what you would expect for an upper crust area like Sun Valley/Ketchum. The arts scene is fabulous and really popular and there is a new outdoor ampitheatre at Sun Valley Resort that is used often in summer for concerts and the symphony not to mention the olympic ice skating peeps who perform at the ice rink at the Sun Valley Lodge. Sun Valley is the first destination ski resort in the USA, sk lift invented there, so if you are into ski history this is the place.

The really nice aspect of Sun Valley, is that the area is as uber rich as any resort, but it is relaxed, no paparazzi, movie stars mingling as normal people, and no one cares or bugs them. Many big names have homes or condos in the area, I've heard more than any other Western ski resort area because they can be left alone unlike some resorts in CO where the paparazzi is bugging them.

So, I would suggest Sun Valley, for a true Rocky Mountain summer experience in a somewhat fabled resort area. You have five mountain ranges to play in by Sun Valley: The Boulders, Pioneers, Smoky's, and a bit further up Highway 75 you have the Sawtooth's and White Clouds and the headwaters of the Salmon River, and access to some of the largerst and wildest true wilderness areas in the Lower 48, not to mention a ton of natural hot springs to soak in, something you will not find as easily in CO.

I hope this helps, I'm very familier with the area.
Here is a link you might find more info at:
Sun Valley Guide Winter 2011

[ctr88]

Really great responses! Appreciate it greatly. I will be back with more questions and commentary in a bit

[zoso1979]

According to MSN.com Aspen, CO is Americas MOST EXPENSIVE town.

Listed: MSN Real Estate's daily blog - MSN Real Estate

[ctr88]

Yes I'm seeing much better deals on short term rentals in Ketchum. Aspen is way too expensive for a month rental for me!