Loon Mountain Resort has submitted a plan to add a fourth peak to its ski area, a project that would overlook downtown Lincoln and fulfill founder Sherman Adams' original vision of four peaks of lift-served skiing. The proposed expansion would add 280 acres of new terrain, including beginner trails and tree skiing, and could boost Loon's total skiable terrain to 955 acres if approved — a 137% increase over its current footprint.
The plan was detailed in a submission reported by NBC Boston, which outlined how the proposed fourth peak would include 145 acres of traditional ski trails and 135 acres of tree skiing areas. Brian Norton said Loon's recent expansion and three major lift installations have been gamechangers for guests, adding that bringing a fourth peak online would be a giant step toward Sherman Adams' original vision for the resort, per the same report.
According to InDepthNH.org, the fourth-peak proposal is distinct from, but runs alongside, Loon's previously announced Black Ridge expansion, set for the 2027–2028 winter season. That eastern expansion would add 272 acres of expert-level gladed terrain in the White Mountain National Forest without any new cut trails or chairlifts — meaning Loon is simultaneously pushing its boundaries on both its eastern and western flanks.
Four New Lifts and a Summit Lodge With Lincoln Views
The fourth-peak proposal calls for four aerial lifts — two fixed-grip chairlifts, one detachable chairlift, and one detachable gondola — according to Loon Mountain Resort's own project materials. Those lifts would carry guests roughly 1,500 vertical feet up the new terrain. Plans also call for a summit lodge at an elevation of 2,324 feet offering dining, sightseeing, and event space with direct views of downtown Lincoln, alongside a mid-mountain lodge with its own scenic views of the town, per NBC Boston.
The terrain layout is designed to solve a common progression problem for skiers. SnowBrains reports that the plan is engineered to give intermediate skiers moving past beginner lifts like Timbertown a gradual step up in difficulty, rather than forcing them directly onto steep, expert-only trails.
Land Split Between Forest Service and a Private Resort
Loon Mountain Resort owns none of the land included in the proposed expansion. Most of the proposed terrain lies within the White Mountain National Forest, while the private land within the project area belongs to South Peak Resort, and the two companies are working together on the project, per NBC Boston's reporting. Mark Bogosian said the project is the next step in a long-term vision for Loon, Lincoln, and South Peak Resort.
The expansion requires multiple local and federal permits and approvals, and Loon Mountain Resort has said it will not announce a project timeline until those approvals are in hand. The U.S. Forest Service has issued a letter accepting the proposal for review, but that acceptance is only a procedural starting line. Because the terrain spans public land, the federal review will require an Environmental Assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act, a process that Snowboarder notes typically takes 12 months or longer before construction permits can be issued.
A Pattern of Expansion Under Flight Path 2030
Loon's fourth-peak push fits into a broader pattern of growth laid out under its Flight Path 2030 capital investment roadmap. The resort expanded for the 2023–2024 season by opening Timbertown on South Peak, adding 30 acres of beginner-focused terrain and a four-person chairlift, according to The Storm Skiing Journal and Podcast. That project served as an early step in moving resort operations closer to Lincoln.
Loon also installed the Kancamagus 8 chairlift in 2021, marking the Eastern United States' first eight-person high-speed chairlift, under the same roadmap. As part of its 2024 Master Development Plan, the resort is additionally preparing to replace its four-person White Mountain Express Gondola with a 10-passenger D-Line gondola capable of moving roughly 2,800 guests per hour, as reported by Lift Blog, which notes the current gondola sees the resort's longest daily queue lines.
Sixty Years Later, Finishing a Founder's Vision
Loon Mountain was founded in 1965 by former New Hampshire Governor Sherman Adams and opened in December 1966 with 12 trails over 80 acres, served by a four-person gondola and two double chairlifts, according to NewEnglandSkiHistory.com. Adams originally targeted the Lincoln site because of the expansion of Interstate 93 and the presence of a pulp and paper mill in town, and he had envisioned starting the resort even closer to the town center, per Lift Blog's reporting.
Six decades later, the proposed fourth peak would bring that vision closer to completion, tying the resort's upper mountain more directly to downtown Lincoln below. With both the Black Ridge and fourth-peak proposals now in motion, and a multi-year federal review ahead, Loon's long-term expansion remains a plan in progress rather than a done deal.
