A Sun Valley airport transfer with BlaakLane.com usually means a pickup at Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN) in Hailey and a 20 to 25 minute drive north on Highway 75 to Ketchum or Sun Valley. We also run the longer transfers from Boise (BOI) and Twin Falls (TWF). The booking engine shows a fixed fare before you confirm, and a vetted local affiliate drives the trip.
How do you book a Sun Valley airport transfer?
Put your flight number or pickup address into the booking engine on this page or at /book/, add the lodge, rental home or office you are heading to, then choose the vehicle. The fare on screen is fixed, nothing runs on a meter and there is no holiday surge in the Christmas and Presidents' Day weeks; gratuity and any parking at Friedman Memorial are charged at actual cost and added to the booking. The Toronto dispatch desk works 24/7 and assigns the job to a vetted Wood River Valley affiliate contracted to the BlaakLane.com written standard. Your confirmation names the operator and the chauffeur. House parties, conference delegations and multi-car family arrivals are planned by a coordinator and confirmed in writing.
Friedman Memorial Airport (SUN): the pickup
Friedman Memorial sits on the south edge of Hailey, about 12 miles from Ketchum. It has a single, compact terminal with rental counters inside and one baggage claim. Standard pickup is curbside at the pre-arranged pickup area outside arrivals; the chauffeur messages the vehicle and plate once your flight is on the ground. A name-board meet and greet inside the terminal is an add-on, and add-ons are only available in selected locations. Flights are tracked, so the chauffeur is timed to the actual landing, with 30 minutes of waiting included on domestic arrivals and then 15-minute blocks. Current airline and terminal information is on the Friedman Memorial Airport site; details for the ride itself are on airport transfers.
Private jets into Hailey
A large share of arrivals in the valley come by private aircraft, and ramp space fills fast in July and over the winter holidays. The chauffeur waits at the FBO and loads bags from the aircraft side where the operator permits it. See our page for the Friedman Memorial FBO and the private airport transfer service for how planeside pickups are arranged.
When SUN flights divert: Twin Falls and Boise
The airport sits in a narrow valley ringed by mountains, and low cloud or snow can send flights to Magic Valley Regional in Twin Falls or to Boise. If your flight lands somewhere else, tell the desk; the new pickup is rebooked at the fare for that route.
| Route | Typical distance | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| SUN (Hailey) to Ketchum or Sun Valley Resort | 12-14 miles | 20-25 min |
| Twin Falls (TWF) to Ketchum | 80-85 miles | 1 h 30 min-1 h 45 min |
| Boise (BOI) to Ketchum | about 150 miles | 2 h 45 min-3 h 15 min |
| Idaho Falls (IDA) to Ketchum | about 150 miles | 2 h 45 min-3 h 15 min |
| Salt Lake City (SLC) to Ketchum | about 280 miles | 4 h 30 min-5 h |
| Ketchum to Stanley over Galena Summit | about 60 miles | 1 h 15 min-1 h 30 min |
Ranges assume clear roads. In snow, Highway 75 and US-20 across the Camas Prairie can be slow, and the fare stays the same however long the drive takes.
The valley, town by town
Highway 75 strings the communities together from south to north. Bellevue is the first town past the airport turn; Hailey holds the county seat and most year-round homes; Ketchum is the restaurant and gallery centre at the foot of Bald Mountain; and Sun Valley proper, a mile east, holds the resort village, the Sun Valley Lodge and the Inn. Elkhorn and the homes along Warm Springs Road and Board Ranch fill the side valleys. Winter visitors mostly split between the River Run and Warm Springs bases of Baldy and the gentler Dollar Mountain beside the resort. Lodging includes the Sun Valley Lodge, the Limelight Hotel Ketchum and the Knob Hill Inn, alongside a very large pool of private rentals with long gravel driveways, which is one reason we default to all-wheel-drive SUVs here.
Summer and autumn events
Sun Valley is a year-round destination, and the summer calendar is often busier than the ski season:
- July: the invitation-only media and technology conference at Sun Valley Resort fills the Hailey ramp and every hotel room in the valley.
- July and August: the Sun Valley Music Festival plays free orchestral concerts at the Pavilion, and the Sun Valley Writers' Conference usually follows in late summer.
- Labor Day weekend: Wagon Days in Ketchum, with a parade of historic ore wagons down Main Street.
- October: the Trailing of the Sheep Festival, when bands of sheep move down the valley through Ketchum and Hailey.
- Late November to April: the ski season on Baldy and Dollar, with the heaviest arrivals over Christmas, New Year and Presidents' Day week.
Street closures for parades change pickup points in Ketchum; the chauffeur confirms the spot by text. Dates are posted by Visit Sun Valley. For programmes with several cars, see event transportation.
Choosing a vehicle for Idaho mountain roads
An executive SUV is our standard in the valley from November to April because it carries skis and luggage and handles the resort roads in snow. A business or Luxury Executive Sedan is fine in summer for one or two travellers. A Standard Black SUV or Sprinter Van suits a family arriving with ski bags or a group heading from Boise, and minicoaches carry conference groups between hotels and the resort. The class list is on the fleet, and every vehicle is four model years old or younger. What your fare covers is explained on rates. Child seats are free on request.
Driving realities in the Wood River Valley
Driving is on the right, and there are no toll roads in the region. Highway 75 is the only route in and out of the upper valley, so an accident or a spring mudslide can block it; build extra time into any departure for a scheduled airline flight. Deer and elk cross the highway at dawn and dusk. Galena Summit, at 8,701 feet on the road north to Stanley and the Sawtooths, can close briefly in storms. Road reports are published on Idaho 511. Idaho runs on Mountain time.
Day trips from Sun Valley
- Stanley and the Sawtooth National Recreation Area, over Galena Summit, for lakes and summer rafting.
- Craters of the Moon National Monument, east through Carey, a good half-day drive with a lava field walk.
- Shoshone Falls near Twin Falls, at its fullest in spring runoff.
A chauffeur who stays with you for the day is covered on city tours and day trips. For onward travel, see Boise, Jackson Hole and Salt Lake City.
Who travels with us in the valley
Second-home owners and their guests, family offices moving principals between the FBO and a ranch, conference attendees, wedding parties at mountain venues and film and media teams. Private clients and household staff often book through HNWI and family office travel, and companies use corporate accounts for monthly invoicing.
Cancellation policy
Cancel more than 72 hours before pickup and there is no charge. At 72 hours or less we charge 10% of the fare, at 48 hours or less 50%, and at 24 hours or less, or on a no-show, 100%. A diverted or delayed flight is tracked and never counts as a no-show.
