The Tyrolean Lodge

The Tyrolean Lodge in Ketchum has been operating since 1962 — an old-Tyrolean-ski-lodge style building from the era when Sun Valley first started attracting destination skiers, and a layout that hasn't been substantially renovated since. Fifty-six rooms, a heated pool, the bus stop to Bald Mountain at the corner. It's the most consistently affordable bed in central Ketchum, and that consistency is the appeal.

Sun Valley's lodging market is bifurcated. The Sun Valley Resort proper handles the upper end. Most of Ketchum's other rooms have gone to vacation rentals. The Tyrolean is one of the few mid-price-point hotels in town that's still a hotel.

The setting

On Sun Valley Road in Ketchum, on the Mountain Express bus line that runs between town and the Bald Mountain (Baldy) ski-lift base. The walk to dinner in Ketchum's downtown — Pioneer Saloon, Cristina's, Town Square, Ketchum Grill — is ten minutes. The Sun Valley Lodge is two miles east; Bald Mountain's main River Run base is two miles south.

The drive in from Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) in Hailey is fifteen minutes. From Boise, two and a half hours east through the Sawtooth foothills.

The building

A two-story Tyrolean-revival ski lodge with painted shutters, peaked roofs, exposed timber accents, and a balcony walkway that runs along the second floor. The aesthetic is ski-lodge of the 1962 vintage, kept rather than overhauled. Public spaces include a small lobby, a sitting area with a fireplace, and the heated outdoor pool that runs year-round.

The building hasn't been redesigned to look modern, and that's deliberate.

The rooms

Fifty-six rooms across the two floors. Categories climb from compact rooms (around $245) up through suites with kitchenettes and small private balconies. Beds are queens and kings, linens are good, bathrooms are functional. The pine-and-wool decor is original-style. Some rooms have gas fireplaces; some have small kitchen units for multi-night stays.

It's a working hotel rather than a designed one. The trade-off is consistency in price and operation.

Food & drink

There's no on-site restaurant. Continental breakfast is included. Apres-ski cookies and hot chocolate run in season. For dinner, Ketchum's restaurant strip is ten minutes' walk: Pioneer Saloon (a Sun Valley institution), Cristina's for breakfast pastries, Ketchum Grill, the bar at Sun Valley's Roundhouse. Vintage at the Limelight is a competent cocktail option.

On the property

A working ski-town hotel with the basics.

• Heated outdoor pool (year-round)
• Hot tub
• Continental breakfast included
• Apres-ski snacks in season
• Bus stop to Baldy at the corner
• Open year-round

Who it's for

• Skiers who want central Ketchum without resort rates
• Families on multi-night trips using the kitchenette categories
• Travelers who'd rather spend savings on lift tickets and Pioneer Saloon dinners
• First-time Sun Valley visitors who don't want to commit to the Sun Valley Resort

Who it's not for

• Travelers who want a design-forward boutique
• Anyone who needs a full hotel restaurant
• Skiers insisting on ski-in/out (you take the bus or drive)

Nearby

Bald Mountain (Baldy) — the actual ski mountain, separate from the historic Sun Valley Lodge — has its main River Run lift base two miles south, accessible by the free Mountain Express bus. The Sun Valley Lodge is two miles east. Ketchum's downtown restaurants are ten minutes' walk. The Sun Valley Center for the Arts and the Ernest Hemingway Memorial are within walking distance. Drive twenty minutes north for Galena Summit and the Sawtooth Mountains' Stanley basin trailheads. The Wood River bike path runs from town for summer riding.