Popular New England ski resort plans to add 4th peak, expand onto national forest land

Loon Mountain, a popular New Hampshire ski resort, is looking to add a fourth mountain peak and expand onto national forest land.

Loon said Tuesday it's looking to develop an additional 280 acres of skiable terrain, which would be a 137% increase from what's available to skiers now.

Resort president and general manager Brian Norton said in a statement that the new peak would feature everything "from classic, winding New England trails and wide-open cruisers to challenging tree skiing."

"Looking west to add this fourth peak of skiing is a giant step," he said. "We're at the very start of a public process, and we intend to do it right."

Loon said that most of the land needed for the expansion is part of the White Mountain National Forest, which consists of more than 800,000 acres. The U.S. Forest Service is soliciting public comment on the environmental impacts of the project through Oct. 23.

"If approved, this project will be approached in phases," Loon's website says. "There are multiple permits and approvals at local and federal levels needed before Loon can announce timelines."

Plans call for a new lodge at the 2,324-foot mountain summit, and another one midway up the mountain. Both would overlook the town of Lincoln. There would also be 145 acres of new ski trails and 135 acres for tree skiing, serviced by four new aerial lifts and a gondola that would connect skiers to the town.