Ketchum

Ketchum is a small city of around 3,551 residents in Idaho's Wood River Valley, next to Sun Valley in Blaine County. In 2017 it became the first city in Idaho to earn International Dark Sky Community status, and it sits within the wider Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve.

Why Ketchum is a top stargazing spot

Ketchum passed a dark sky lighting ordinance back in 1999, one of the earliest in the state, and later updated its lighting code to meet DarkSky International's Community standards, earning the designation in 2017. The city forms part of the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve, established in December 2017 and covering 1,416 square miles near the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, the first Gold Tier dark-sky reserve in the United States.

What you can see

With outdoor lighting managed across the community and the wider reserve protecting the surrounding mountains and valleys, clear nights in Ketchum offer views of the Milky Way and a dense field of stars rarely seen from other resort towns of its size.

Visiting Ketchum at night

Ketchum draws visitors year-round for skiing on nearby Bald Mountain, along with fishing, hiking, trail riding, shopping and its art galleries, and stargazing is an easy addition to any visit. The City of Ketchum and the Idaho Dark Sky Alliance co-host a Full Moon Ice Skating and Star Gazing Night, pairing guided stargazing and telescope access with skating on outdoor ice, and the Alliance runs further educational programmes and outreach about the wider Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve throughout the year. Friedman Memorial Airport, about 15 miles south in Hailey, serves the area. Check locally for current event dates before you travel.

Best time to go

At around 43 degrees north, Ketchum sees the Milky Way's core arc across the southern sky from roughly March to September, with the richest views on clear, moonless nights in summer. Winter swaps that for crisp views of Orion and the other bright winter constellations, helped by long, dark mountain nights. The Perseid meteor shower in August and the Geminids in December are worth planning a trip around, and as always, aim for the new Moon window, give your eyes twenty to thirty minutes to adjust, and use a red light to protect your night vision.

Getting there

Ketchum sits in Idaho's Wood River Valley, next to Sun Valley. Friedman Memorial Airport, about 15 miles south in Hailey, is the closest airport, with Ketchum reachable by road from there and from the wider Wood River Valley towns.

See your named star from here

Ketchum's community-wide commitment to dark skies makes it a great base for finding a star you've named through star-register.eu. Bring your certificate's coordinates and a stargazing app to help you spot it above the Wood River Valley. Browse our catalogue of named stars, or discover more certified dark-sky destinations on our observatories page.