"We're telling people sorry, we're not going to sell you a ticket and sorry we're not going to let you come as an Ikon Pass holder because we're trying to manage the experience." That's how Loon general manager Brian Norton described busy days at the mountain in LiftBlog's October 6 coverage of the resort's latest plans. When LiftBlog asked whether the expansion was meant to spread people out or bring more people in, Norton said "some of both," adding, "There's unused demand at Loon."
The big project behind those quotes is a new peak at 2,324 feet, which Loon calls Peak 4. It would put the new terrain, the new lodge and the new night skiing on the side of the mountain that looks out over Lincoln's town center. Of all Loon's current projects, it would change the most about how the mountain and the town relate to each other. It's also the only one where the public gets a say right now. The White Mountain National Forest is accepting comments until October 23, 2026, which is 11 days from today.
The New Peak Looks Out Over Main Street
Loon's own Peak 4 page says it plainly. A lodge is planned at the 2,324-foot summit "with dining, sightseeing, and event space overlooking the town center," and a mid-mountain lodge would offer "scenic views of the town of Lincoln." Loon files the project under the "Connect the Community" pillar of its Flight Path 2030 plan, which says the expansion "links the mountain directly to downtown."
Here's the scale, based on the resort and the Forest Service:
- Terrain: 145 acres of traditional trails and 135 acres of glades, 280 acres in all. Loon calls that 137% more terrain.
- Lifts: four. The main lift is a 10-person gondola running 6,654 feet to the new summit lodge, rising 1,632 vertical feet and carrying 2,800 skiers an hour, according to LiftBlog.
- Night skiing: lights on 60 acres, including Timbertown, per NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com.
- Buildings: a 15,000-square-foot summit lodge, a 3,000-square-foot lower-mountain restaurant and a 2,000-square-foot race building, the same report says.
Loon's page counts two lodges. The Forest Service's legal notice refers to "three guest service facilities." The documents we could read don't explain the difference. Loon also notes that its map is an artistic rendering, not the final trail layout.
The terrain fills a specific gap. "We have a lot of higher end intermediate but we don't have that lower end intermediate," Norton told LiftBlog, describing a planned detachable quad near Timbertown that would serve a new low-intermediate pod.
The Parking Lesson Built Into Lift F
Two fixed quads round out the lift plan. Lift D would serve lappable expert trails from the top of the new gondola, and Lift F would run west of the gondola base and serve beginner and low-intermediate terrain. LiftBlog reports that Lift F "is closely tied to further private development," and that Norton said day-skier parking, workforce housing and maintenance facilities "may all live at that end of the resort someday."
Norton tied that lift to a problem anyone who has parked at Escape Route will recognize. LiftBlog quotes him saying Loon "just solved a longstanding issue of parking with no lift at Escape Route," and that "Lift F would service that area so we're not going back in time and forcing people to shuttle from parking again." In other words, the plan treats where cars end up as a lift-design question from the start, not something to fix later.
The land is split. The new terrain would sit mostly on National Forest land, plus property owned by South Peak LLC, which also owns the base of the South Peak and Timbertown complexes. Overall, Loon is asking to enlarge its Forest Service special use permit area by 395 acres.
Four Projects, Four Different Clocks
Peak 4 isn't Loon's only project, and the others are at very different stages. Some are already decided, some are waiting, and one has slipped. Here's where each one stood as of October 12, 2026.
| Project | Where it stands | Earliest effect on skiers |
|---|---|---|
| Black Ridge glades, 272 acres | Forest Service decision signed August 27, 2026 | Closed all of 2026/27; expected to open winter 2027/28 |
| White Mountain Express gondola replacement | Proposal filed; no decision posted on the Forest Service page | Construction proposed April to November 2027 |
| RiverWalk to Timbertown pulse gondola | Under town review as of October 2026 | No current opening date published |
| Peak 2,324 / Peak 4 expansion | Environmental Assessment started October 6, 2026; comments due October 23 | Decision estimated October 2027 |
Two rows come with caveats. The Forest Service page for the gondola replacement still says "Developing Proposal," gave an estimated decision date of September 2026, and was last updated June 1, 2026. That page can't tell you whether a decision has since been made. The pulse gondola was announced in April 2024 with installation planned to start in spring 2025 and opening set for the 2025/26 winter. As of LiftBlog's October report, it was still under town review. Loon's pulse gondola page describes a fixed-grip lift of nearly 1,300 feet between RiverWalk and Escape Route Lot B but gives no new schedule. At a community open house last March, Norton called it "privately funded public transportation," according to LiftBlog.
The replacement gondola matters because it's the lift everyone uses. NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com reports that the current four-person gondola was installed in 1988, runs all year, and climbs 1,738 vertical feet over 6,970 feet. Loon's filing calls it "one of the oldest detachable lifts in New England." The proposed 10-person Doppelmayr D-Line Omega would raise uphill capacity from 1,000 to as many as 2,400 people an hour on the same lift line.
This Winter, Loon Gets a Little Smaller First
The only one of these projects that's fully approved will take terrain away this season. Black Ridge sits east of North Peak, entirely within the White Mountain National Forest. Loon's FAQ says "No access to the area will be allowed during the 2026/27 winter season" so crews can work there freely.
When it opens, the route in will look familiar to some skiers. NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com reports that a 2,700-foot-long, 6-foot-wide entrance trail will start at the top of the North Peak Express Quad and "likely" follow a bootleg path. A 1,700-foot exit trail with a bridge will connect to Brookway. The terrain drops 1,350 vertical feet from a top elevation of 2,850 feet, and the 272 acres would make Loon the largest ski area in New Hampshire. Loon says access will be through a controlled gate atop North Peak, followed by a traverse of up to 1.25 miles where "Hiking and/or pushing may be required." No new lift is planned for it.
"Black Ridge isn't for everyone, and that's the point. It's a true rugged experience - natural and raw, unlike anything else we maintain at Loon today."
That's Norton in the September 1 press release, as quoted by NewEnglandSkiIndustry.com.
As for when the 2026/27 season starts, Loon's opening day help page says, "We do not have an estimated opening day for our 2026-27 winter season."
How the Peak 4 Comment Window Works
The Forest Service published its notice in the Union Leader on October 6. The notice asks for "substantive issues" that could have a significant environmental impact, could lead to an alternative plan, or could add design criteria that change the proposal. The agency has already flagged three preliminary issues: hydrology and wetlands, soils, and wildlife. The notice also says the proposal includes two Forest Plan amendments, which run through their own objection process.
Here's how the process works, according to the notice:
- Where: The agency prefers comments through the "Comment on Project" form on the Forest Service project page. Written comments can also go to Derek Ibarguen, White Mountain National Forest Supervisor, Loon Mountain Resort Expansion Project, 71 White Mountain Drive, Campton, NH 03223.
- When: Comments must be postmarked or received by October 23, 2026.
- Public record: Comments, including the names and addresses of the people who send them, become part of the public record.
- Anonymous comments: These are accepted and considered. However, they don't give the agency a way to send the commenter later documents, and they don't give the commenter standing for administrative review.
- Objections: Only people or groups who submit timely, specific written comments that meet the eligibility requirements can file an objection later.
WMUR reported that a virtual open house is set for Wednesday, October 14. The meeting details are posted with the scoping documents linked from the project page. Questions can go to Erica Dickerman, the Winter Sports Permit Administrator, at [email protected].
Norton told LiftBlog that the resort and the Forest Service chose an Environmental Assessment, which takes about 12 months, over a multi-year Environmental Impact Statement. He said Loon's long-range plan "has largely been the same for 35 or 40 years." The Forest Service's estimated decision date is October 2027. For comparison, Loon's 2007 South Peak expansion opened after nearly a quarter century of planning and lawsuits.
Growing up racing and coaching at Loon, we've watched the mountain change one trail and one lift at a time. If you want to know which parts of Lincoln sit closest to the planned Peak 4 base, where the pulse gondola would run, or how a Black Ridge-less winter could affect North Peak, Bailey Clermont Realty is glad to walk the map with you. Let's Connect.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
