The Best Kept Secret at the Trailing of The Sheep Festival
It's obvious that the Trailing of The Sheep Festival in Ketchum is unlike anything else. Even Oprah says it's one of the 20 best fall festivals in the United States.
I had already planned to attend the unique event, but if we're being honest, Oprah secured the fact that it would be a day I'd never forget.
The morning for me started out early, as the people I went with had mentioned they were interested in a 'photo op' event. Maybe I'm a millennial and didn't know any better- but I assumed they meant we were going to get a photo with a sheep at a photo booth.
Halfway to Ketchum from Twin Falls, I found out what we were actually doing was spending a couple of hours (or less, it was up to our discretion), taking photos of sheep that would be in the parade later in the day. Unfortunately, I didn't do my research, so I didn't have my DSLR with me. However, I did have my handheld digital camera with me, so I wasn't completely out of luck.
The photography event in 2019 started at 9 a.m. and went until about 11:30 a.m. or so. All we had to do was meet up at the post office, then wait until the person in charge got the call about where the sheep were at. Luckily for this event, if you want you can ride in a caravan for the event, or you can drive yourself. We chose to drive ourselves, so we could check out the sheepdog trials in Hailey before the parade.
Admittedly I didn't fully dress for the occasion. I'd definitely suggest hiking shoes and extra layers to stay warm if you ever check out the photography event and watch the sheep be led down the mountainside.
Truly, this was the best-kept secret of my whole Sunday adventure to Sun Valley. Even if you go to the photography event, I still recommend going to the parade. After all, it's not every day you see 1,500 sheep trailing down Ketchum's Main Street.