Notable Cities and Towns in Idaho

Beyond the Treasure Valley's explosive growth, Idaho's most interesting places are often small mountain or mining towns of remarkable character.

Sun Valley and Ketchum
America's first destination ski resort (1936) and one of the finest — Sun Valley's Bald Mountain (9,151 ft, 3,400 vertical feet) is among the best ski mountains in the US. Ketchum's Main Street has exceptional restaurants and galleries. Ernest Hemingway lived here from 1939 until his death in 1961 — he is buried in Ketchum's cemetery; the Hemingway Memorial is on Trail Creek. Sun Valley Music Festival (August) is one of the finest summer orchestral events in the West.

Stanley
A tiny town (population ~100) in the Stanley Basin at 6,243 feet, surrounded by the Sawtooth Range on three sides — one of the most dramatically situated small towns in the Rocky Mountains. Stanley is the gateway to Redfish Lake, the Sawtooth Wilderness, and the headwaters of the Salmon River. The Basin has some of Idaho's coldest winter temperatures (regularly below -40°F). Fishing on the Salmon River near Stanley is exceptional.

Sandpoint
On Lake Pend Oreille's north shore — the most cultured small city in northern Idaho. Schweitzer Mountain (2,900 vertical feet, above the lake and Cabinet Mountains) is the largest ski area in Idaho by terrain acreage. The Festival at Sandpoint (outdoor summer music) and the Pend Oreille Arts Council give Sandpoint cultural depth unusual for its size. The City Beach and the views of the Cabinet Mountains across the lake are extraordinary.

McCall
On Payette Lake in the West Central Mountains — Idaho's most popular mountain resort town for the Boise metro. The lake, Little Ski Hill, and the Brundage Mountain ski area (above the lake with views of the Seven Devils Range) serve families and outdoor enthusiasts. The McCall Winter Carnival (January/February) features extraordinary ice and snow sculptures.

Wallace
The "center of the universe" and Idaho's finest historic mining town — the silver mining heritage, the Victorian architecture, and the Sierra Silver Mine Tour make Wallace the most historically rich small town in Idaho.