Visiting Anaconda, United States: Top Sights on Foot

The best things to do in Anaconda include discovering its remarkable copper-smelting heritage and exploring the historic buildings that reflect the city’s past. Set at the foot of the Anaconda Range in southwestern Montana, Anaconda combines mountain scenery with a distinctive industrial history. Neywo offers a free audio guide for Anaconda with five narrated places, available in 11 languages.

What to see in Anaconda

Anaconda Smelter Stack

The Anaconda Smelter Stack is the city’s most striking landmark and one of its most remarkable industrial structures. Built in 1918 as the centerpiece of the Washoe Smelter, it was operated by the Anaconda Copper Mining Company during the city’s major copper-smelting era.

The brick chimney rises 555 feet above a concrete foundation that adds another 30 feet on the downhill side, for a total height of 585 feet. It is the tallest surviving masonry structure on the planet. The smelter operated for more than six decades before closing in 1981.

The stack’s changing appearance tells part of its story. When it was built, the chimney was covered in terra cotta. Today, only its upper 40 percent retains that original coating, while the remaining brickwork and reinforcing rods are exposed. The structure tapers from 76 feet across at its base to about 60 feet at the top, giving it the strength to stand with brick and mortar alone. The stack and its viewing area form the two-part Anaconda Smoke Stack.

Methodist Episcopal Church of Anaconda

The Methodist Episcopal Church of Anaconda is a historic building in the city and another reminder of the community that developed alongside the mining industry. Its presence adds an architectural dimension to a visit focused on Anaconda’s industrial past.

Zion Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church

The Zion Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Church reflects the contribution of the Swedish immigrant community to Anaconda’s history. The historic building remains part of the city’s streetscape, offering a glimpse into the different communities that helped shape this mining town.

Anaconda and the Pintlers

Anaconda sits at the foot of the Anaconda Range, known locally as the Pintlers. The peaks rise directly behind the city, giving the surrounding landscape a strong mountain character. The city stands at about 5,200 feet above sea level, where the air is crisp and the nearby watershed divide lies just over the ridge.

Anaconda is the county seat of Deer Lodge County and operates under a consolidated city-county government. With just over 9,400 residents counted in the 2020 census, it is the ninth most populous city in Montana. These details help place the city in context: it is a mountain community whose identity is closely tied to both its civic history and its setting.

Morel Bridge

Morel Bridge is a registered historic place in Deer Lodge, Montana. It is located beyond Anaconda itself, but it can add another historic stop to an exploration of the area and its built heritage.

Explore Anaconda with Neywo

Neywo’s free audio guide turns an Anaconda visit into a self-guided experience. It includes five narrated places, with each story playing as you reach the place at your own pace. There is no group and no schedule, so you can explore independently while the app explains the history of the landmarks around you.

The narration is available in 11 languages. Download Neywo and discover Anaconda’s smelter heritage, historic churches and mountain setting with the stories playing when you arrive. For more destinations in the state, continue exploring Montana, or compare Anaconda with nearby Butte.