Monarch Mountain's Master Development Plan Accepted

Monarch Mountain has cleared a major planning hurdle for its future growth, announcing that the U.S. Forest Service has formally accepted the resort's 2025 Master Development Plan (MDP), a conceptual roadmap outlining potential construction and improvement projects for the next decade and beyond.

The plan consolidates several previously accepted projects while introducing a new slate of proposed improvements, including expanded parking, lift upgrades, new lifts, trail grading, and additional non-skiing amenities. Also outlined are new buildings at Pano Flats, Paradise Lot and the top of Pano, along with replacements for the resort's Rental and Lesson Center, Patrol Headquarters, and Lift Maintenance Shop.

Every ski area operating on National Forest land is required to maintain an MDP, a long-range document that typically spans 10 to 15 years. Resort officials were careful to note the distinction between a plan being "accepted" versus formally "approved" — each individual project outlined in the document must still undergo its own review under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) before it can move forward.

"Not every project proposed will happen, and most will be altered to fit the needs of the mountain at the time they are implemented," the resort said, explaining that the site-specific NEPA process accounts for details that can't be captured in a document meant to guide over a decade of planning.

A two-year process

Work on the current MDP began internally in the fall of 2023, with the resort collaborating with planning firm SE Group and the Forest Service throughout the process. The plan was formally submitted to the Forest Service on July 17, 2025, and underwent review through the following fall, winter and spring before its acceptance.

Monarch credited former staff members Randy Stroud and Scott Pressly with leading much of the plan's development, noting that both had retired before seeing the process through to completion. "We may not have gotten it all the way through to the finish line before they retired, but both Randy Stroud and Scott Pressly deserve a ton of recognition for all the work they put into drafting this plan," the resort said.

No plans for snowmaking, despite its inclusion in the document

The full MDP runs 108 pages and includes the data behind the resort's long-term decision-making. Monarch officials sought to head off concern over one item included in the plan: snowmaking.

The resort emphasized that it remains committed to operating as an all-natural snow area. Snowmaking infrastructure has appeared in previous versions of Monarch's MDP without ever being built, and the resort said that trend will continue — the provision exists to "cover all bases" rather than signal any change in philosophy. Monarch said it would not pursue snowmaking unless conditions left it no other option.

Zach Moore, the resort's Director of Strategy and Safety, framed the plan as a balance between ambition and identity.

"We are committed to keeping the soul of Monarch alive, we are excited about the new MDP plan, and are looking forward to getting it done," Moore said.

The full Master Development Plan is available for the public to review here.