Relocation to McCall or Ketchum...lowdown on the good,the bad, and the ugly (Boise: live, airport)

[deerdoc]

Hello all,
I have an opportunity to relocate to Idaho with job opportunities in McCall and Ketchum.
They both would appear to be very nice areas with a lot of outdoor activities, of which I am very fond of. I am looking for insite into information on these areas from people with first hand knowledge of these areas. Is there much of a difference in their winter temps and sunshine? I am from MN originally and spent the 8 of the last ten years in northern MN so I have some baseline for WINTER .
how about humidity and mosquitos?
I would appreciate any insite.
I will be visiting both sites over the week of Thanksgiving.

Thanks in advance.

[banjomike]

Both have expensive housing, but Ketchum is Vail expensive.
McCall is on a lake, so the snow is wetter, and there is more wintertime overcast and fog. Ketchum is higher and much drier, so the snow is most often powder or close to it. Ketchum has more days of severe cold than McCall, I believe, due to it's elevation. S. Idaho's climate in general is cooler by a few degrees than central Idaho. But 'high' humidity is very relative; McCall's may be thought of as high here at 40%- most of Idaho's humidity is typically less than 30% year-round. During the winter, the humidity in Ketchum is often as low as 15%

There are mosquitos in both towns. The Wood river ambles through Ketchum and is skeetery. McCAll is lakeside. Niether is as bad as Minnesota, I'm sure.

McCall is relatively close to Boise, the only true metropolis in the state; it's about 60 miles away. Ketchum is about 100 miles from Boise, but the most direct route is over some high country, and is prone to closure during stormy periods in the winter. I-15 has a junction fairly close to Ketchum, however, and it's open year-round.

Ketchum is a gateway to some of the most rugged and beautiful places in Idaho. The town nestles at the foot of several great skiing mountains. The approaching country side to Ketchum is all high steppe and very sagebrush. McCall is on the edge of a national forest, and is more typically alpine.

I've spent time in both, but more in Ketchum. It's kind of a party town, as there is a lot of wealth there and lots of tourists and skiers. McCall is less touristy.

Have fun! Visiting both may be an adventure... at this time of the year, the weather often changes overnight, but so far, this fall has been mild and pretty sunny. Be prepared for cold weather, just in case. Make sure you have some warm footwear and a warm coat.

[jadbad2004]

The only information I can give you is the humidity is pretty much non existent in Idaho, especially compared to the east (I was born and raised in Ohio) that also effects how cold it feels here too. I believe they both have very similar winters, plenty of snow. Snow averages 131 inches in Sun Valley area, and 134 inches for McCall.

[zoso1979]

Originally Posted by jadbad2004

The only information I can give you is the humidity is pretty much non existent in Idaho, especially compared to the east (I was born and raised in Ohio) that also effects how cold it feels here too. I believe they both have very similar winters, plenty of snow. Snow averages 131 inches in Sun Valley area, and 134 inches for McCall.

Today both Sun Valley and Mc Call are forcast for precipitation including snow, putting humidity around 90%. Anytime you have moisture in the air (clouds, rain, snow), you have humidity. The humidity level for Boise today is in the 60s. Overall Idaho tends to be drier, and that absolutely has an affect on how the cold "feels", but I wouldn't call humidity non-existent. That said, it's all relative and the humidity in Idaho is certainly not at all what you'd experience on the coasts or mid-west.

[deerdoc]

Thank you all for your responses. I appreciate the information.
To be perfectly honest it is the whole "winter thing" that is my only concern with moving back to a northern state.
I'm sure its because I found winter in MN to be so brutal with so little to do outdoors that I enjoyed.... (if you have to drink to do something, its probably not that much fun, and there is a lot of drinking in northern MN in the winter )
I hope our visit in a few weeks will give us a feel for the areas and I'm kind of hoping that the weather is "wintery" so I can see what it is like.
In looking at the weather charts it would appear that McCall is about 10-12 degrees warmer on average than where I was in MN. That being said, do you get many days where the temperature doesnt get above zero or ten degrees?... or worse yet like so often happens in MN you wake up with the warmest temperature of the day and by noon its 10 below zero?
I have found that 10 for a low is fine if your daytime temp is 30.
I can do just about anything outdoors if prepared and dress appropriately.... but there is not much to do thats any fun if your hight temp for the day is 15 below zero!

[banjomike]

Idaho winters can get very cold. I remember one New Year's Eve in the 80's when it dropped to -50 below zero.
Not every winter is extra cold, but traditionally, Idaho has run in rough 10-year cycles of warm and dry winters to cold and snowy winters.
The cycles is not steady now, as far as I've been able to determine. The last really cold snap here in Bonneville County was brief and happened about 4 years ago, but earlier and later winters never had a dramatic cold snap. The last 2 have been unseasonably mild, but the spring has been unseasonably long, cold, and wet.

The higher you go, the colder it gets. That minus 50 was in Island Park, an area a bit higher than Ketchum.

However, Ketchum knows how to party the right way in the winter. That may be a game changer for you.

[jadbad2004]

Originally Posted by zoso1979

Today both Sun Valley and Mc Call are forcast for precipitation including snow, putting humidity around 90%. Anytime you have moisture in the air (clouds, rain, snow), you have humidity. The humidity level for Boise today is in the 60s. Overall Idaho tends to be drier, and that absolutely has an affect on how the cold "feels", but I wouldn't call humidity non-existent. That said, it's all relative and the humidity in Idaho is certainly not at all what you'd experience on the coasts or mid-west.

I was more or less referring to humidity in the east, and that for us from the east, we do not notice it much. i was not meaning to imply there wasn't any here. I will be more careful in future, my choice of words.

[deerdoc]

Thank you all for your input regarding the weather.
Could anybody give information on outdoor activities, and ease of access to such with regards to both locations.
I am an avid outdoors person who enjoys just about anything that has to do with outdoors.
Obviously McCall has a large lake in proximity. Are there water opportunities in Ketchum?
How about rock climbing?
With regards to hunting what types of hunting are available? Any water fowl hunting?
Lastly does one or the other lend themselves more to outdoor activites, i.e. more outfitters, guides, ease of access, or ability to find soloitude, etc.?

By the way I will be visiting there Nov 17 - Nov 28th
McCall for the first four days, Boise Wed and on Thanksgiving, then over to Ketchum Friday - Tues.
Any thoughts on "must see or do" activities for me to consider?

I appreciate the input.
Can't wait to see your beautiful state first hand!

[Clark Fork Fantast]

The drive up from Ketchum to Stanley is out of this world, with the Sawtooths as a backdrop. It's only 60 miles, but it feels like a different world. There's fishing on the Salmon (the headwaters are just north of Ketchum), and there are lots of lakes in the Sawtooths. If you include Stanley in your Ketchum plans as a weekend getaway, I'd say it beats McCall in terms of activities, views, solitude, etc--but Stanley is/feels about as remote as it gets in Idaho while still being accessible by a good road, even if it's only an hour away from Ketchum on a good day. In Stanley you (still) get authentic mountain village life, while the Ketchum/Sun Valley experience is much more upscale.

Here's the Stanley webcam: Sawtooth Camera: Live webcam from Stanley, Idaho. Views of the Sawtooth Mountain Range.

And here's the mighty Salmon River--one of my favorites (links to Wikipedia). The River of No Return!





Here's one of my album pics from Stanley, with the Salmon flowing through town:

[zedd]

I think Ketchum has more variety for outdoor activities. Ketchum has more variety and quality in the nearby alpine terrain and is close to most of the highest and spectacular mountains in Idaho. Plus there is the Harriman Trail which has no comparable equivalent in the McCall area. Hailey has an airport with flights to Salt Lake City, McCall has no major airline service. The one area where McCall clearly wins is with Payette Lake - there is nothing close to that anywhere near Ketchum. If you are a "lake person" that is something to consider. All things equal, I personally would pick Ketchum. But both places are great and you can't go wrong either way!