New Hampshire, Usa
Gunstock
227 acres, 48 runs in the Lakes Region. County-owned resort, Lake Winnipesaukee views, night skiing.
Season 2025 - 2026
Opens
6 Dec 2025
Closes
5 Apr 2026
Days open
120
Annual snow
8ft
The Overview
Michael Fulton
Melbourne-based skier and snowboarder with 50+ resorts across 5 continents. Specialises in Australian resorts and international resort comparisons.
Gunstock's summit reaches 2,300 feet, dropping roughly 1,400 vertical feet to a base at 899 feet across 48 runs spread over 227 acres in Gilford, New Hampshire, overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee. Terrain splits 52 per cent intermediate, 31 per cent advanced, 15 per cent beginner and 2 per cent expert, with average annual snowfall of roughly 97 inches. Five lifts, including three quad chairs and two triple chairs, serve the mountain alongside one surface lift and one t-bar.
Gunstock occupies a genuinely distinctive place among New Hampshire ski areas as a publicly owned recreation complex, operated for the benefit of the surrounding county community. Its panoramic views over Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire's largest lake, give the resort a scenic backdrop uncommon among the region's mountains.
The resort traces its origins to the Winnipesaukee Ski Club, formed in 1918, whose members cut early trails on Gunstock, Belknap and Piper Mountains. The Works Progress Administration constructed what was then known as the Belknap Mountain Recreation Area, completing the project in time for its official opening on 28 February 1937 with a ski jumping event. The ambitious development, championed by the Belknap County Legislative Delegation, included a chairlift, four rope tows, cross-country trails, camping facilities and a substantial main lodge, and the resort claimed the first chairlift in the eastern United States.
Gunstock has remained under Belknap County ownership throughout its history, managed since 1959 by the five-member Gunstock Area Commission established by state statute. This public ownership structure distinguishes Gunstock from the great majority of New England's privately operated ski areas. Adult daily tickets run from 75 to 95 US dollars, with substantial discounts for seniors aged 70 and over.
1,401ft
Vertical
48
Runs
227 acres
Skiable
8ft
Annual snow
The Terrain
48 runs across 227 acres skiable
Gunstock spreads 48 runs across 227 acres skiable of terrain. It leans intermediate at 52%, with 7 beginner runs to find your feet and 16 advanced or expert runs when you want to push.
Terrain split
48
runs
48 runs across 4 grades
Beginner7 runs · 15%
Intermediate25 runs · 52%
Advanced15 runs · 31%
Expert1 run · 2%
Time it right
When to visit Gunstock
The 2025-26 season at Gunstock ran from 6 December 2025 to 5 April 2026, a roughly seventeen-week season supported by average annual snowfall of around 97 inches. Extensive night skiing extends the useful ski day considerably for visitors from the surrounding Lakes Region throughout the season.
Midwinter, from December through February, typically brings the most consistent conditions to Gunstock's intermediate-and-advanced-weighted terrain overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee. As a publicly owned Belknap County resort, Gunstock draws heavily from the surrounding Lakes Region community alongside visitors specifically seeking its panoramic lake views and public-access mission.
Substantial senior discounts, including reduced pricing for skiers aged 70 and over, reflect the resort's community-focused, publicly accountable pricing philosophy. School holiday periods bring increased family visitation given the resort's varied terrain and accessible pricing structure relative to privately operated competitors nearby.
Specific event programming beyond standard operations and night skiing is not confirmed in available resort information. Under continuous Belknap County ownership since the resort's 1937 founding as the Belknap Mountain Recreation Area, and management by the Gunstock Area Commission since 1959, the resort continues serving its original public recreation mission each season. Gunstock's Lake Winnipesaukee views remain a defining seasonal backdrop for visitors.
Season 2025 - 2026
6 Dec 2025
Opens
5 Apr 2026
Closes
120
Days open
8 ft
Annual snow
Getting there
Getting to Gunstock, and where to stay
Gunstock sits in Gilford, New Hampshire, overlooking Lake Winnipesaukee, with a base elevation of 899 feet and a summit at 2,300 feet across a roughly 1,400-foot vertical drop over 227 acres. This Lakes Region setting gives the resort panoramic views over New Hampshire's largest lake.
Gilford and the broader Lakes Region, including nearby Laconia, offer extensive lodging, dining and lake-focused recreation within a short drive of the resort. This combination of mountain and lake amenities gives the surrounding area a genuinely varied appeal across both winter and summer seasons.
New Hampshire State Route 11A and Interstate 93 provide access to the resort from the broader Lakes Region and beyond. Winter driving conditions on regional roads can include snow and ice, though the well-travelled routes are regularly maintained given the area's popularity as a year-round recreation destination. There is no direct public transport service to the mountain.
Specific nearest commercial airport details are not confirmed in available resort information, though Gunstock's Lakes Region location keeps it within a reasonable drive of the greater Manchester and Boston metropolitan areas for visitors travelling from further afield.
Where to stay
Search all stays →Hotels and lodges near Gunstock, powered by Stay22.
Latest News
From the SnowStash desk
Spain Moves to Ban Smoking at Ski Resorts Under New Tobacco Law
Spain's government has approved a draft tobacco law that would ban smoking across a wide range of outdoor spaces, including sports venues - a category Spanish winter sports media expect to cover ski resorts, potentially extending to slopes and lifts themselves. The rules would also apply to e-cigarettes and vaping devices, even nicotine-free ones. The bill still has to clear the Spanish parliament before any ban, signage, or fines can take effect.
22 July 2026
South Tyrol Approves New 16-Person Ciampinoi Gondola in Val Gardena
South Tyrol has approved a full rebuild of the Ciampinoi cable car in Selva di Val Gardena, replacing the current 12-person gondola with a 16-person cabin and a new mountain-station restaurant. Capacity is capped at 3,200 people an hour rather than the 3,600 the operator wanted, and 250,000 euros must go toward compensatory measures. No construction or opening date has been set, though the upgrade is partly aimed at clearing bottlenecks before the 2031 Alpine Ski World Championships.
22 July 2026
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21 July 2026
La Thuile's New Cable Car Replaces Two Ageing Chairlifts
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21 July 2026
The Remarkables Adds Scarpa Bowl to Its Inbounds Terrain
The Remarkables is adding new inbounds terrain for winter, bringing the Scarpa Bowl - known locally as the Toilet Bowl - into its lift-accessed network after years as backcountry-only ground. The roughly 500 metre run is reached by bootpacking from the top of the Sugar Bowl chairlift, with a shuttle picking skiers up from the road at the bottom. It's a smaller, faster addition than the resort's planned Doolans expansion, though the new terrain hasn't opened yet due to a lack of snow this season.
21 July 2026
Ski Portillo Cut Off After Storm Dumps More Than 4.5 Metres of Snow
Ski Portillo remains isolated after an extended storm buried the Chilean resort under more than 4.5 metres of snow, with both ground and air access suspended since Tuesday while crews monitor avalanche hazards and worsening weather. Resort officials say further snowfall is expected in the coming days and haven't set a timeline for reopening the mountain road. Once access resumes, the scale of the snowpack could set up a strong season at one of the Southern Hemisphere's most historic ski resorts.
21 July 2026
Resort Spotlight: Lotte Arai - Japan's Corporate Ski Anomaly With 22 Metres of Annual Snowfall
Lotte Arai receives 22 metres of annual snowfall - exceptional even by Japanese standards - but its corporate ownership model and limited terrain create an unusual cost-benefit equation. Here's what the numbers actually mean on the ground.
19 July 2026
Resort Spotlight: Banff Sunshine Village - Nine Metres of Snow and a Season That Runs Until May
Banff Sunshine Village sits at 1,660m base and receives 9.27m of snow annually. Inside Banff National Park, it offers a six-month season and terrain split that skews heavily advanced - though the crowds and lift infrastructure tell their own story.
18 July 2026
Lift system
Gunstock runs five lifts: three quad chairs and two triple chairs, serving 48 runs across 227 acres in Gilford, alongside one surface lift and one t-bar. This network traces its origins to the resort's remarkable claim as the site of the first chairlift built anywhere in the eastern United States.
That pioneering lift formed part of the original Works Progress Administration-constructed infrastructure completed for the resort's 28 February 1937 opening as the Belknap Mountain Recreation Area, alongside four rope tows and extensive supporting facilities. This ambitious public infrastructure project, backed by the Belknap County Legislative Delegation, established Gunstock's lift-served skiing well ahead of many regional competitors.
The current three quad chairs and two triple chairs distribute skiers across Gunstock's intermediate-and-advanced-weighted terrain, a network that has grown considerably from the original 1937 rope-tow-and-chairlift configuration. The single surface lift and t-bar support beginner and learning areas near the base.
Under continuous Belknap County ownership, managed since 1959 by the five-member Gunstock Area Commission, investment in the resort's lift infrastructure has continued to serve the public recreation mission established at its 1937 founding. Specific recent individual lift replacement projects are not confirmed in available resort information. Gunstock's historic first-in-the-East chairlift claim remains a distinctive point of pride in its ongoing public operation.
7lifts across 4 types
3
Quad Chairs
2
Triple Chairs
1
T-Bar
1
Surface Lift
Gunstock lift system
Gunstock is served by 7 lifts, listed here by type. Check which lifts are turning against the live conditions before you plan your first laps - early lifts and high-speed chairs get you to the best snow fastest.
More Gunstock intelligence: trail map, snow report, webcams, resort overview.