Monarch Mountain celebrated a major terrain expansion this past ski season. Now operators want to expand parking. 

A proposal to add about 260 spots to Monarch’s upper Paradise parking lot was recently announced by the U.S. Forest Service, which is collecting public feedback as part of its standard decision making process. 

The proposed expansion is within the boundary of Monarch’s special use permit under the Forest Service and would require 4 acres of vegetation clearing and grading, according to a scoping document by the agency. 

The document states “parking demand frequently exceeds capacity, resulting in guests parking along Highway 50 and tightly parked vehicles.” The document adds: “These conditions create operational inefficiencies as well as public safety concerns.” 

Monarch owner Bob Nicolls said those concerns were felt on rare powder days this past season that saw historically low snowpack. More dirt than snow was sometimes seen across No Name Basin, the backside terrain that debuted toward the end of January but never fully opened. 

With the expansion, “we were thinking if we had an average snow year, we might have 250,000” visitors, Nicolls said. Visitation was closer to 175,000 this season, he said, down from around 220,000 the season before. 

Even so, “we saw those peak days when we really needed extra parking,” Nicolls said. “If we have a normal snow year, we might have 20 or 30 of those days next year.” 

Which is why he’s hoping for another 260 parking spots. “We just flat out need more parking,” he said. 

Nicolls said about 400 more spots were added in 2022, when Monarch acquired the scenic tramway and store up the road. The Monarch Crest has served as employee parking and overflow for guests who have taken a shuttle to the ski base. 

“But it’s far more preferable for us and the guests to have parking on site,” Nicolls said. 

Especially, he said, as No Name Basin promises to bring more people and leave cars parked longer at the ski area that was previously limited to lift-served terrain on the front side. The expansion promises to build on record visitation that Monarch has reported over the decade while it has steadily expanded the Paradise lot. 

Another 260 spaces “satisfies in the near term,” Nicolls said. 

He has eyed a smaller expansion at the main, lower parking lot. “But we’ll look at that after we get this,” he said. 

The Forest Service’s public comment period ends April 29. 

“If we can get approval, we can get the work done this summer,” Nicolls said.