Mackay, Idaho is an Untapped Outdoor Paradise with Huge Development Potential

Account Closed · 2025-09-25T16:34:22-07:00

I have been looking at small towns across the West and stumbled across one that completely surprised me. Mackay, Idaho. For anyone unfamiliar, Mackay sits in the Lost River Valley surrounded by some of the tallest peaks in Idaho. The views are stunning with the White Knob Mountains on one side and the Lost River Range on the other. It truly is an outdoor paradise with hiking, fishing, hunting, climbing, and skiing potential all in one place. Here is what makes it interesting from an investing and development perspective. Affordability: Compared to other mountain towns, land and property are still extremely cheap. Downtown commercial lots are available in the twenty thousand dollar range which is almost unheard of in a place with this kind of scenery and potential. It is nowhere near Sun Valley prices, yet you are only about an hour and a half away. Accessibility: Despite its rural feel, Mackay is an easy in and out drive from larger hubs like Idaho Falls, Hailey, and Sun Valley. Tourism and Recreation: The area has all the raw ingredients for eco lodges, cabins, adventure tourism, or even a boutique ski operation. It is surprising that more has not been built here already. Growth Potential: With outdoor tourism growing and small town mountain markets heating up, Mackay feels like a boom waiting to happen. It has the charm, the scenery, and the affordability that the next wave of buyers and developers are looking for. I cannot help but wonder why Mackay has not already been developed the way other towns in the Rockies have. The fundamentals are here. It just has not hit the radar of enough people yet. Curious what others think. Is this the kind of place you would consider putting money into before the wave hits?

Kevin SmithPro Member

Investor · ID · Member since 2022 · 12 posts · 5 votes

11mo

I live close to Mackey. The locals do make it difficult to do a lot of tourist based growth largely because the tourists make life hard during the harvest season. Its not impossible but it will require a lot of effort.

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Mark Johnson

Member since 2023 · 2 posts · 0 votes

10mo

I lived in Boise for most of my life and have only been through Mackay once, to climb Mount Borah. I don’t think there is much growth potential since it is so remote without big tourist pulls and dry land around it. That is why land is cheaper. Though it could be a nice spot for a certain type of person. I have my eye on other spots in Idaho, though prices have kept me away ($200k per 1/2 acre in more common destinations)!

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Account Closed

OP

Member since 2025 · 4 posts · 2 votes

8mo

Appreciate both perspectives. I actually think the points you’re raising explain why Mackay still represents opportunity rather than why it should be dismissed.

On the local resistance point, that dynamic exists in every mountain town before it changes. Jackson, Bozeman, Driggs, and even early Sun Valley all had strong local pushback tied to agriculture, hunting seasons, and quality of life. That friction is not unique to Mackay. It simply means any development has to be thoughtful, seasonal, and aligned with the community rather than mass tourism. From an investor standpoint, that often favors higher quality, lower density projects with better margins rather than volume driven tourism.

On remoteness and “lack of a pull,” that assumes the old tourism model. Today’s buyers and travelers are explicitly looking for places that are not saturated, not overrun, and not priced out. Mackay sits within striking distance of Idaho Falls and Sun Valley while offering something those places no longer do: access, space, and authenticity. Borah Peak alone already draws a steady flow of climbers and outdoor traffic, and that is before considering fishing, hunting, backcountry skiing, and shoulder season recreation that does not conflict with harvest cycles.

On the land and water point, the area is not “dry” in the way people assume. The Lost River Valley has substantial water rights, irrigation infrastructure, and a long agricultural history. Cheap land here is not a function of unusability. It is a function of being early. That distinction matters.

I am not arguing Mackay becomes the next Sun Valley, and frankly that is the point. The best returns historically have come from places that didn’t chase mass tourism but instead grew deliberately with eco lodging, seasonal cabins, guide based recreation, and second home buyers who want privacy and access over nightlife.

For certain investors and operators, especially those comfortable working with rural communities rather than against them, Mackay looks less like a dead end and more like a place where the fundamentals are intact and the price still reflects yesterday’s assumptions.

That is exactly the window I am interested in

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Jules Aton
MD/DC · Member since 2024 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
8mo
Quote from @Account Closed:

Appreciate both perspectives. I actually think the points you’re raising explain why Mackay still represents opportunity rather than why it should be dismissed.

On the local resistance point, that dynamic exists in every mountain town before it changes. Jackson, Bozeman, Driggs, and even early Sun Valley all had strong local pushback tied to agriculture, hunting seasons, and quality of life. That friction is not unique to Mackay. It simply means any development has to be thoughtful, seasonal, and aligned with the community rather than mass tourism. From an investor standpoint, that often favors higher quality, lower density projects with better margins rather than volume driven tourism.

On remoteness and “lack of a pull,” that assumes the old tourism model. Today’s buyers and travelers are explicitly looking for places that are not saturated, not overrun, and not priced out. Mackay sits within striking distance of Idaho Falls and Sun Valley while offering something those places no longer do: access, space, and authenticity. Borah Peak alone already draws a steady flow of climbers and outdoor traffic, and that is before considering fishing, hunting, backcountry skiing, and shoulder season recreation that does not conflict with harvest cycles.

On the land and water point, the area is not “dry” in the way people assume. The Lost River Valley has substantial water rights, irrigation infrastructure, and a long agricultural history. Cheap land here is not a function of unusability. It is a function of being early. That distinction matters.

I am not arguing Mackay becomes the next Sun Valley, and frankly that is the point. The best returns historically have come from places that didn’t chase mass tourism but instead grew deliberately with eco lodging, seasonal cabins, guide based recreation, and second home buyers who want privacy and access over nightlife.

For certain investors and operators, especially those comfortable working with rural communities rather than against them, Mackay looks less like a dead end and more like a place where the fundamentals are intact and the price still reflects yesterday’s assumptions.

That is exactly the window I am interested in

The area definitely sounds nice but I'm not sure I agree with: "Today’s buyers and travelers are explicitly looking for places that are not saturated, not overrun, and not priced out." Buyers definitely don't want over priced but low occupancy during the years it takes to create a destination isn't what many would elect to pursue and there are multiple reasons a majority of tourists go to the same places. Best wishes if you decide to trailblaze, it has been done before with great results but consider the cost of ramp up time and consider the benefit of not attempting to re-invent the wheel.

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Account Closed
OP
Member since 2025 · 4 posts · 2 votes
8mo
Quote from @Jules Aton:

Quote from @Account Closed:

Appreciate both perspectives. I actually think the points you’re raising explain why Mackay still represents opportunity rather than why it should be dismissed.

On the local resistance point, that dynamic exists in every mountain town before it changes. Jackson, Bozeman, Driggs, and even early Sun Valley all had strong local pushback tied to agriculture, hunting seasons, and quality of life. That friction is not unique to Mackay. It simply means any development has to be thoughtful, seasonal, and aligned with the community rather than mass tourism. From an investor standpoint, that often favors higher quality, lower density projects with better margins rather than volume driven tourism.

On remoteness and “lack of a pull,” that assumes the old tourism model. Today’s buyers and travelers are explicitly looking for places that are not saturated, not overrun, and not priced out. Mackay sits within striking distance of Idaho Falls and Sun Valley while offering something those places no longer do: access, space, and authenticity. Borah Peak alone already draws a steady flow of climbers and outdoor traffic, and that is before considering fishing, hunting, backcountry skiing, and shoulder season recreation that does not conflict with harvest cycles.

On the land and water point, the area is not “dry” in the way people assume. The Lost River Valley has substantial water rights, irrigation infrastructure, and a long agricultural history. Cheap land here is not a function of unusability. It is a function of being early. That distinction matters.

I am not arguing Mackay becomes the next Sun Valley, and frankly that is the point. The best returns historically have come from places that didn’t chase mass tourism but instead grew deliberately with eco lodging, seasonal cabins, guide based recreation, and second home buyers who want privacy and access over nightlife.

For certain investors and operators, especially those comfortable working with rural communities rather than against them, Mackay looks less like a dead end and more like a place where the fundamentals are intact and the price still reflects yesterday’s assumptions.

That is exactly the window I am interested in

The area definitely sounds nice but I'm not sure I agree with: "Today’s buyers and travelers are explicitly looking for places that are not saturated, not overrun, and not priced out." Buyers definitely don't want over priced but low occupancy during the years it takes to create a destination isn't what many would elect to pursue and there are multiple reasons a majority of tourists go to the same places. Best wishes if you decide to trailblaze, it has been done before with great results but consider the cost of ramp up time and consider the benefit of not attempting to re-invent the wheel.

That’s a fair point and I agree that long ramp up periods and low early occupancy can sink a lot of projects. I am not suggesting Mackay becomes a destination overnight or tries to compete with established hubs. That would be expensive and unnecessary.
Where I see the difference is that Mackay already captures steady outdoor traffic tied to Borah Peak, hunting, fishing, and backcountry recreation. That demand is under served, not absent. The opportunity is incremental growth that can operate profitably at lower occupancy rather than scale dependent tourism.
Also, the type of outdoor recreation Mackay offers is exactly where crowds and lines are a negative, not a feature. The appeal is space, access, and authenticity. Many buyers and travelers are willing to trade amenities for those things, especially as established markets become saturated and priced out.
So I agree with the caution. I just think the strategy here is not reinventing the wheel, but building a smaller, more resilient model that fits the place rather than forcing the place to fit the model
1 Reply

Account Closed

OP

Member since 2025 · 4 posts · 2 votes

4mo

https://phoenixcopperlimited.com/projects/empire-copper-rese...

Phoenix Copper is sitting on 109 million pounds of copper, 104,000 ounces of gold, and 4.6 million ounces of silver right outside town. They’re not exploring anymore. From what I can tell they’re well past that. Detailed engineering, already bought used milling equipment to cut costs, and headed toward submitting a Plan of Operations to the Forest Service. After that it’s NEPA review, Record of Decision, construction, then production. I think you’re looking at 2029 to 2031 before ore actually moves but honestly the timeline doesn’t matter as much as the trigger.
Here’s the thing about a mine coming into a town of 500 people. Construction alone drops 200 to 400 workers into a valley that has almost no rentals. Those people need somewhere to live and there’s just nowhere to put them. That’s when landowners start getting calls they haven’t gotten in years. Values move then, not when the mine opens. At least that’s how I see it.

And the jobs don’t disappear right away either. 80 to 150 permanent positions for 8 years minimum, probably longer because they’re already talking about an underground phase after the open pit closes. I think that’s enough of a population bump to completely change what can survive in town economically. Right now Mackay doesn’t have enough people to keep certain businesses open. That changes.
The county also has to upgrade roads, power, and communications to support an operation this size. That stuff doesn’t leave when the mine does.

So what does it actually cost to get in right now? Town lots are going for $35,000 to $59,000. Three lots sitting on Main Street right now for $60,000. Raw acreage running about $17,000 per acre from what I’ve seen. Homes start around $269,000, median is $293,000. For context Ketchum is an hour away at $1.3M median. Bozeman hit $650K. Livingston went from $80K to over $400K. Mackay honestly hasn’t moved.

On that $60,000 Main Street lot I think you’re looking at 40 to 80 percent upside before construction even starts based on what similar announcements did to comparable markets. That’s $24,000 to $48,000 on a $60,000 buy before a shovel touches the ground. And if the mine never makes it through NEPA you’re still holding land in a valley with Borah Peak above it that people are already starting to find on their own.

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Mackay, Idaho is an Untapped Outdoor Paradise with Huge Development Potential

Mackay, Idaho is an Untapped Outdoor Paradise with Huge Development Potential

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