STORY BY KAREN BOSSICK

PHOTOS BY JUDY CAHILL

Moose seem to have gotten in the holiday spirit around Sun Valley. Or maybe they just want to see what all the fuss is about Sun Valley Resort being named North America’s top ski resort three years in a row.

Not only were a mother and calf spotted roaming around downtown Ketchum on Sunday, but another moose was spotted in Sun Valley Village.

Judy and Kevin Cahill spotted the magnificent creature on Friday, Dec. 30, outside the Sun Valley Inn. She casually ambled by the couple as they were headed through the portico towards the parking lot.

She enjoyed a meal of dead aspen leaves for about 10 minutes. Then, having already perused the fur coats at Sun Valley’s Brass Ranch, she wandered off towards the golf course, presumably for a little cross country skiing or snowshoeing. Her long legs allowed her to wade easily through deep snow as its hooves splayed, limiting the depth with which it sank into the snow.

“There were only a few other people who saw her, and they were Sun Valley Company employees and Sun Valley police who were making sure a visitor didn’t happen upon her and try getting too close for a photo opportunity,” said Judy Cahill. “I know Idaho Fish and Game were called, but we did not see them show up while we were there.”

There have been reports of rare moose sightings at Ski Santa Fe in New Mexico this past month. There was even the first ever moose spotting in Mount Rainier National Park during December 2022.

Moose sightings are more frequent in Sun Valley—in the willows at Glassford Heights neighborhood north of Ketchum, at Adams Gulch and Greenhorn Gulch, the ponds along Trail Creek Road, on the cross-country trails around SNRA headquarters, in Hailey and even at the pond along the bike path near St. Luke’s hospital.

But they do seem to be spending more time this winter in touristy areas around River Run on Bald Mountain and in Ketchum and Sun Valley.

It’s hard not to be wowed by these 450- to 1,500-pound creatures that are the largest members of the deer family.

Cahill said the moose spotting was the highlight of the holiday season for her and her husband.

“You just never know what you’re going to capture in this wonderland we live in,” she said. “She sure was a beauty. We figured she was a good luck sign for 2023!”