One of the pros of Sun Valley is that there is a decent range of winter activities on offer, and for kids there are things to do that are both indoors and outdoors.

Kids and Family Activities Sun Valley

Here is a selection of Sun Valley activities for kids:

• Tubing at Dollar Mountain
• Sleigh rides from the Sun Valley Lodge to the Trail Creek Cabin (round trip takes about half an hour)
• Indoor and outdoor ice skating rinks at the Sun Valley Resort Village
• The Opera House at Sun Valley Resort Village plays movies (for a small fee)
• The Sun Valley Lodge has a bowling alley in the basement

Sun Valley Heli Skiing & Other Ski Activities

Sun Valley has some amazing backcountry ski touring and split-boarding opportunities.

Or Sun Valley Heli Skiing is a great option for powder hounds. Sun Valley Heli Ski offer single day heli ski trips, where you can enjoy pristine powder runs. Or for the ultimate elevated experience, Sun Valley Heli Ski offers multi-day heli skiing trips staying in a remote fly-in lodge.

The Sun Valley area has 40km plus of groomed cross country trails. Some of the trails pass right near the Sun Valley Inn so they are very accessible, or you can drive to the very upscale ClubHouse and start your trip there. Ski equipment is available for rent. There are also designated trails for fat biking and snowshoeing.

Sun Valley Hot Springs

The Sun Valley area has lots of natural hot springs, but surprisingly they haven’t exploited the prospect of using this as a tourist attraction or installed changing facilities. As the name (and the aroma) would suggest, there are hot springs near Warm Springs. In winter they are rather avalanche prone and they haven’t put up avi fences or the like, so there’s a bit of a lost opportunity.

Frenchman’s Hot Springs are about 10 miles out of town (on a road that can be very snowy), which offer a very raw natural hot spring experience. There are no amenities there, you just get changed on the snowy banks, and you have to keep the water moving around to ensure it’s not too cold or scalding. It’s not so raw that you can go Japanese onsen style and go naked, as the rules clearly stipulate that you must wear your bathers.