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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Anaconda
Anaconda, Montana
Give Anaconda one night, or a half-day stop off I-90: the smelter stack, the 1936 Washoe Theater and a pasty. Two nights only if you golf or soak at Fairmont.
Anaconda is a copper-smelting town of about 9,400 people in a valley of the Deer Lodge National Forest, 5 mi (8 km) west of I-90 at Exit 208. Marcus Daly built the smelter here to work Butte ore, and the 585 ft (178 m) stack still stands over the town. The downtown is walkable in an hour; the draw is the stack, the Art Deco theater, Lost Creek and the hot springs at Fairmont.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Anaconda, Montana
- Best months
- Jun–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Mar (snow, some seasonal closures)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $110–180 excl. bed · High $180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Anaconda Police (non-emergency) 406-563-5241 · Poison Control 1-800-222-1222
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Pasty | $6–10 |
| Burger or pizza at a bar | $12–20 |
| Draught beer | $5–8 |
| Golf, 18 holes at Old Works | $60–100 |
| Gasoline, per gallon | $3–4 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- BTM · Bert Mooney Airport, Butte
- About 30 min east on I-90; small, few daily flights — check schedules
- MSO · Missoula Montana Airport
- About 1 h 45 min west on I-90; more airlines and car-rental choice
- BZN · Bozeman Yellowstone International
- About 2 h east; useful if you combine with Yellowstone
Typical fares
- Anaconda Stack State Park, per vehicle
- $8 non-Montana residents; free for Montana residents
- Lost Creek State Park day use
- $8 per vehicle
- Fairmont Hot Springs day soak
- check current rate
Get around
No public transport. Downtown is flat and walkable or bikeable; a car is needed for the stack, Lost Creek, the golf course and Fairmont. I-90 Exit 208 links to MT-1, which runs east–west through town.
See and do
Known for
- Anaconda Smelter Stack
- Washoe Theater (1936)
- Copper Village Museum
- Fairmont Hot Springs
- Pasties
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Butte | I-90 east, about 25 mi | About 30 min |
| Deer Lodge | I-90 west, about 25 mi | About 30 min |
| Philipsburg | MT-1 west over the divide, about 30 mi | About 45 min |
| Nevada City | MT-1 east to I-90, then south on MT-287 | About 1 h 30 min (check) |
| Dillon | I-90 east then I-15 south, about 100 mi | About 1 h 45 min |
| Helena | I-90 east then US-12 north, about 90 mi | About 1 h 40 min |
Sleep
- Downtown (Park Ave and Commercial Ave)
- Walk to the Washoe Theater, bars and June's Pasty Shop; the two main streets run one-way.
- MT-1 east strip
- Motels and The Forge Hotel near the highway; easiest with a car and bags.
- Fairmont Hot Springs
- Resort 15 min east off I-90 Exit 211; nothing else nearby, so you eat there.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the smelter stack? | Where is the smelter stack? |
| One pasty, please | One pasty, please |
| Is the road to Lost Creek open? | Is the road to Lost Creek open? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Where is the restroom? | Where is the restroom? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- The smelter stack cannot be entered or climbed; you view and photograph it from the plaque at 100 Smelter Rd.
- Lost Creek State Park is open May 15–Nov 30 and snow can block the road and trails — check before driving up.
- Winter driving on MT-1 and I-90 can close or slow routes; carry chains or wait it out.
- Cell coverage is patchy in the surrounding national forest.
A small, quiet town; the real risks are winter driving on MT-1 and I-90, wildlife on forest roads and thin cell coverage — tell someone your route.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Anaconda yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Anaconda Smelter Stack
- Washoe Theater (1936)
- Copper Village Museum
- Fairmont Hot Springs
- Pasties
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Discover Anaconda: www.discoveranaconda.com/
- Montana FWP — Anaconda Smoke Stack State Park: fwp.mt.gov/stateparks/anaconda-smoke-stack/
- Montana FWP — Lost Creek State Park: fwp.mt.gov/stateparks/lost-creek
- Old Works Golf Course: www.playoldworks.com/
- Wikivoyage: Anaconda, revision 5318645 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5318645
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
AnacondaAnaconda, Montana
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Anaconda Police (non-emergency)406-563-5241
- Poison Control1-800-222-1222
No consulates in Anaconda. Nearest: Butte and Missoula have none; use the consulates in Denver or Seattle, or your embassy in Washington, DC.
Small town: many places close early and some are seasonal — call ahead.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/anaconda). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.