Loon Mountain
New Hampshire's best-rounded ski area, with 370 acres and a gondola that serves the serious terrain.
Our Take
Loon Mountain in Lincoln, NH is the most complete ski resort in New Hampshire: large enough to have meaningful terrain diversity, small enough that you can learn the mountain in a day, and with a snowmaking operation powerful enough to be reliable even when the weather cooperates with the spirit of New England rather than the expectations of skiers. The Kanc 8 eight-passenger gondola replaced the old Kanc Quad in 2019 and serves the summit terrain including the North Peak expansion area, which has legitimate advanced skiing by any standards. The resort joined the Epic Pass when Vail Resorts acquired it through Peak Resorts in 2019, which brought obvious infrastructure upgrades and pass accessibility but created predictable weekend crowding. Midweek Loon is a different proposition -- the mountain has 370 acres of varied terrain, the gondola makes the upper mountain efficient, and the Lincoln area has evolved into a real ski town with options beyond the resort base. The terrain runs from long, wide beginner runs to genuine double-blacks like Walking Boss that have actual pitch and consequence. For New England skiing, this is as good as it gets without crossing into Vermont.
Nerd Stats
Skiable Acres
370
Vertical Drop
2,100'
Summit Elevation
3,050'
No. of Trails
61
Fun Facts
- Loon's Kanc 8 gondola carries 8 passengers and replaced the old quad in 2019 -- it's now the fastest way to access the North Peak terrain.
- The resort is in Lincoln, NH, which sits in Franconia Notch -- surrounded by the White Mountains with enough topographic drama to feel serious.
- Loon joined the Epic Pass in 2019 when Vail acquired Peak Resorts. Weekend crowds went up. Infrastructure investment went up too.
- The Walking Boss trail is Loon's most notorious run -- a genuine steep with moguls, rock exposure, and a name that dares you.