Top Fun Things To Do in Anaconda, MT in 2025 (According To A Local)
Anaconda is a little gem tucked away in the Pintler Mountains, just outside the more raucous Butte. It attracts all kinds of outdoor enthusiasts and is especially known for hunting, hiking, skiing, rock climbing and mountain biking.
Being an Anaconda, Montana resident myself, I put together a list of my favorite things to do here. And there are plenty.
While there are certainly touristy things you can do, like visit the smoke stack or go ziplining, Anaconda’s charm is really found by plugging into all of the events and trails.
I keep a calendar with all of Anaconda’s upcoming events so that I can schedule my yoga class offerings around them (and so I can attend the events myself). Take a look and see what’s coming up:
Outside of scheduled events, then you’ll want to explore the surrounding trails… that’s really where Anaconda shines (at least in my biased book).
Here’s everything our small town loves about living here. Jump ahead to what you’re most interested in:
Stuff To Do In Town
The small businesses offer more than just friendly service… they also host A LOT of events around town. Here’s what’s on offer now. I’ll be updating this list as I talk to more people throughout the year.
Attend A Yoga Class
Anaconda Yoga offers daily yoga classes for all levels. If you’re traveling to or through Anaconda, then one of these classes will be the the perfect complement to your stay, especially if you’re playing in the mountains. (I recommend coming to a Yinyasa class, which is the perfect remedy to your mountain legs!)
It’s a cozy yoga studio that will feel like home. And as an outdoor recreation enthusiast, myself, I can confidently say that all of the classes on the schedule are designed to support your outdoor lifestyle. That’s why I created them and, in fact, is why I opened Anaconda Yoga to begin with.
Outdoor enthusiasts need somewhere to soothe their muscles and reduce injury risk and there wasn’t a place like that here until I opened Anaconda Yoga.
You can peruse the class schedule here:
Come To The Anaconda Yoga Fest
This year, Anaconda Yoga is putting on its very first Anaconda Yoga Fest from September 12-14 and it is going to be incredible! There will be yoga classes led by instructors from all over Montana not only inside our little yoga studio but also in historic buildings throughout town and at the park.
There will be other fun events and partnerships happening, like live music, an outdoor wellness market, and a farm-to-table dinner complete with a wine pairing. If you’re planning to visit Anaconda or have recently moved here, then mark your calendar and get your tickets here.
Go See Live Music
Lindsay at Novice Westerner Move has been doing incredible things for our little town of Anaconda by bringing in unique and talented artists from around the US to play in small business spaces through Anaconda. The live music you see at The Bighorn, Smelter City Brewing, and soon at Anaconda Yoga? Yup, that’s all Lindsay’s work.
Follow @novicewesterner on Instagram to see up-to-date information about upcoming shows and book your tickets at her virtual Box Office.
Attend A Community Reading by the Anaconda Ensemble Theatre
Jackie at the Anaconda Ensemble Theatre is making magic in this town by bringing small theatre to our small businesses. Every year, small businesses (like Anaconda Yoga!) host a community play reading.
The plays are written for the location itself. For example, the play reading that will happen at Anaconda Yoga on September 20, 2025 will be related to yoga. There will be two readings: Prana by Shelli Pentimall Bookler and The Yoga by Casey O’Neil.
Here are the plays happening in 2025:
You can buy tickets to the upcoming community readings here and follow @anacondaensembletheatre on Instagram to stay in the loop.
Visit Copper Village Museum and Art Center
Emily at Copper Village is another legend who is breathing life into this quiet mountain town. The museum itself is beautiful with an interesting and culturally relevant rotation of artwork coming through every couple of months.
Copper Village also rents the space out for community events and is where I first started teaching yoga in Anaconda before opening the studio, Anaconda yoga.
What Copper Village is most known for is their Art in Washoe Park, which happens every July, and their Wildlife Art Expo, which is happening in October this year. If you’re around for either of those, then I highly recommend attending. They’re easily the most exciting events that happen in Anaconda and during epic summer weather, too.
They also host a ton of art events for kids, like the Kids Summer Camp series, and a Ladies Night Out fundraiser that provides lots of wine and silent auction shenanigans.
Take a look at their Events Page to see all upcoming events. Or follow @copper_village on Instagram to get more info in real-time.
Check Out Discover Anaconda Events
Discover Anaconda regularly hosts events and coordinates with small businesses around Anaconda. Luckily, they recently hired someone new, Celina, to manage the events and she is doing a fantastic job getting the word out. You can hunt everything down on Facebook Events, see everything on their website, or follow them on Instagram to get details on current and upcoming events.
Here is how to contact them:
- 306 East Park Avenue, Anaconda MT 59711
- (406) 563 2400
- info@discoveranaconda.com
Visit The Anaconda Community Market
The Anaconda Community Market is a fun summer treat that goes from June to September on Thursdays at 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. If you’re in town during the summer, then this is a fun way to explore the local vendors and just enjoy the great summer weather that southwest Montana has to offer.
- Market Dates: Thursdays, June 26th – September 4th
- Time: 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
- Located on the 100 block of Main St. (between Commercial Ave. and Park St.) in downtown Anaconda, MT.
They also host a pop-up winter market sometime in February, but that information is a little hard to find until right before it happens. Keep your eye out on Facebook Events, that’s where they’ve posted about it in the past.
Jump In On An Anaconda Trail Society Event
Anaconda Trail Society organizes weekly events for hiking, mountain biking, and trail maintenance throughout the summer.
Their summer 2025 trail maintenance schedule is published and ready to join:
As for the fun group rides and hikes, here is last year’s (2024) schedule to give you an idea of what they organize:
You can find all of their upcoming events on their Events Page. For any trail maintenance events, look for an Eventbrite link where you’ll reserve your spot. Follow them on Instagram to stay up to date: @anacondatrailsociety
Join A FREE Wine Tasting At The Bighorn Bottle Shop And Wine Bar
The Bighorn Bottle Shop is a nice quiet (and sometimes not-so-quiet!) wine bar where you can enjoy a civilized drink and chat with your friends. They have a really nice tapas-style menu so that you can snack while you drink.
Vanessa at The Bighorn hosts LOTS of fun events, like workshops, tastings, and even live music. Take a look at their Events page to see what’s coming up. If you see something that you’d like to attend, then I recommend booking early. Vanessa’s events sell out FAST.
Follow their Instagram to see what they’re up to in real time: @bighornbottleshop
Have a beer at Smelter City Brewing
Smelter City Brewing is a classic watering hole that hosts an impressive space. The place is always full of families, bubbly chatter, and a neighborhood cat, Taps. He’s quite popular and even has his own Instagram. The Lukes (Luke, The Owner & Luke, The Brewman) have recently expanded and are now shipping their beers all over Montana. It’s a fun small business to watch grow and it feels like family when you walk in, kinda like Cheers but in 2025.
They’re regularly hosting events if you’re looking for a little action. Otherwise, it’s the best spot in town for your 3-beer limit in Montana. You can follow them on Instagram to get the latest updates on events.
In the summers, I host FREE yoga classes out on the deck and anyone who attends gets a free beer afterward. It’s lots of fun and I’d love to see you there. Follow @anacondayoga and @smelter_city_brewing on Instagram to see any announcements for upcoming classes.
Meet Thru-Hikers at Pintler’s Portal Hostel
Every summer, Marsha and Steve and Pintler’s Portal host a free dinner for all hikers traveling along the Continental Divide Trail (CDT) and open their doors for the community to join. This is a fun way to mingle with people from around the world and hear epic stories of their backpacking journey across the CDT. You’ll also get to learn about how they earn their trail names, which is often hilarious.
This year, the Hiker’s Nights are:
- Thursday, Jul 17, 2025, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
- Thursday, Aug 28, 2025, 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Pintler’s Portal is also a great gathering space that hosts other fun events, like the Gear Swap & Recreation Expo (happening Saturday, November 8 this year) and fun cooking classes. Take a look at their Events Page to see what’s coming up and follow @pintlersportal on Instagram to stay connected.
See a movie at the historic Washoe Theatre
Washoe Theatre is one of Anaconda’s most treasured historic places. They show only one movie at a time and tickets are $6 for adults and $5 for children.
Showtimes are at 7 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 5 p.m. on the weekends.
The theater is magnificently decorated, with an art deco style on the outside and a vintage Depression-era style on the inside. I love coming here by myself whenever a movie I like is playing.
Go thrift shopping
Anaconda goes hard on thrift stores. I personally styled my entire home with thrifted items, especially artwork. From original art pieces to random furniture, quirky odds and ends to surprisingly stylish clothing, the thrift shops throughout Anaconda do.not.disappoint.
- For Clothing: My girlfriends and I do a clothing swap every once in awhile and whatever isn’t taken home gets sent to Anaconda Thrift Center. That’s what everyone in Anaconda does, it seems, when they’re done with old clothing or household items. You’ll find lots of cool odds and ends and a massive selection of clothing to look through.
- For Antiques & Interiors: Black Dog Antiques & Interiors is a tourist attraction in and of itself. You can get lost in there for hours and easily drop a few hundred dollars. Even if you aren’t on the hunt for something, I recommend stopping by Black Dog, it’s wildly entertaining.
- For Outdoor Gear: Anaconda Pawn is where everyone takes their used outdoor gear and other valuable items. If you’re looking for something on the cheap for an outdoor adventure, then stop in there and see what they have on hand.
- For Fur: Yes, Anaconda has a place for fur items and that is Western Montana Fur Center. It is very Montana of us and if you’re into stuff previously-living animals, fur rugs, coats, and the like, then you will enjoy this place.
Play At Old Works Golf Course
Old Works Golf Course is Montana’s premier golf course designed by Jack Nicklaus right in the heart of Anaconda. Most visitors notice the black sand immediately, which is made from the furnace slag of the old copper smelter that first founded this small town. While the course itself is very unique and steeped in history, it’s the virtual golf courses inside the Old Works Golf Course clubhouse that really got my attention. You can select from all kinds of golf courses around the US and play those courses with drink in hand. You can follow them on Instagram to see their upcoming events: @oldworksgolfcourse
Try These Outdoor Activities Around Anaconda, MT
Southwest Montana is known for its beautiful mountains and those begin right here in Anaconda. It’s in a prime location too, just an hour from Helena and an hour and a half from Bozeman or Missoula, making it an easy weekend getaway for “city” dwellers.
Visit Lost Creek State Park for hiking, camping, rock climbing
Lost Creek State Park is just outside of Anaconda and is a beautiful little area for a picnic and meandering hike. Water runs down the sides of the mountains, flowing into the creek that the state park is known for. This Montana State Park has a fee for nonresidents: $9. If you’re a Montana resident, then you already pay the state park fees with your vehicle registration.
Lost Creek State Park also has camping, making it a fun and well maintained spot to camp out while exploring the Pintler Mountains. You can reserve your campsite or cabin here: https://montanastateparks.reserveamerica.com/
There are also lots of rock climbing opportunities in Lost Creek with sport climbing routes tucked up on many of the rock walls along the valley. You can find access to some of them off the walking trails you pass on your way to the waterfall at the back of the park.
During the winter months, you can take your cross-country skis to the gate and ski along the road as far back as your heart desires. People with dogs like this trail because they can take their doggos for a little adventure, but it sometimes makes the snow mottled with dog prints so, if you’re not into that sort of thing, then I’d recommend Mt Haggin trails where dogs aren’t allowed.
Explore Georgetown Lake for hiking and backcountry skiing
Georgetown Lake is the go-to for lake activities in the area. It’s massive and has little campsites tucked around the perimeter. There is a moose that hangs out on the northwestern end of the lake. There are a few bays where you can kayak or paddle board while looking at the clear water below. The backdrop is a delight: snowcapped Pintler Mountains.
Even the drive to the lake is an absolute delight, where you’re likely to see bighorn sheep in the adjacent fields.
And depending on the season, you’ll be able to hike, bike or backcountry ski some of the trails around Georgetown Lake. Summer is an easy season, granting you access to most everything.
During the shoulder seasons, like Fall and Spring, when the trails are too wet for comfortable hiking but too dry for epic skiing, you can cruise around the roads along Georgetown Lake. You’ll have beautiful views of the Pintlers along the way.
During the winter months, if there is good snow coverage, then you can skin up the trails as far as your heart desires and then ski down untouched powder and pristine wintry forests.
While these are low-grade hills and therefore low avalanche risk, please do not attempt backcountry skiing anywhere unless you have adequate avalanche safety training and equipment.
Explore hiking and running trails around town
The Pintler Mountains have no shortage of hiking trails, so go wild exploring your maps of choice. Anaconda Trail Society has done a fantastic job putting together trail maps of all of the easily accessible trails both within Anaconda and in the surrounding areas.
If you’re in town, though, and looking for a nice walk right from your accommodations, then take a look at the local Anaconda Trails Map:
Alexis at Anaconda Outdoor has recently started a weekly run club if you’re looking for some company on the trails. Follow @anacondaoutdoormt to get the latest info about when they’re meeting next.
Go mountain biking just west of Anaconda
There are endless trails all around Anaconda, if you haven’t already noticed, but the trails just west of Anaconda are some of my favorites for riding your bike along.
Emily and Matt at Anaconda Bicycles have done a great job organizing public rides with Anaconda Trail Society to create a full summer calendar for all mountain biking enthusiasts. Check my embedded calendar above to see all of the upcoming rides they have scheduled. Or follow them on Instagram to get updates there: @anacondabicycles
For more information and to sign up for events, visit Anaconda Trails Society Events.
Go bird watching at Warm Springs Ponds and German Gulch
If you’re really into birds then you’ll love Warm Spring Ponds. There are trails all throughout the ponds that you can walk, run, or ride your bike along.
There are helpful little information stations where you can see what kinds of birds live there (there are TONS) and whether or not they’re common, rare, seasonal, or native.
Warm Springs Ponds is just outside of Anaconda, right off I-90 and is super easy to get to. I like to ride my bike around there and take a little lunch to enjoy on a bench under the massive Cottonwood trees to the East of the ponds. There, you will find a Bald Eagle nest and, if you’re lucky, the eagles will be there watching you watch them.
Cross country skiing
These mountains come alive in the winter and everything becomes skiable on the most perfect powder you could ever imagine. The easiest thing to jump into around here is cross-country skiing.
There are so many places to take your XC skis around here, the most popular spots being the Echo Lake trails and Mt Haggin trails.
- See the latest grooming report for Echo Lake here.
- See the latest grooming details for Mt Haggin here.
If you don’t have XC skis, then you can rent them at Anaconda Bicycles. The daily rate is $25 and includes the skis, boots, and poles. Plus, Emily and Matt are the nicest! Get more details here.
Play at Discovery Ski Area / Bike Park
Discovery Ski Area is a family operated ski hill with epic winter conditions and turns into a bike park during the summer. I’ve had a season pass at Disco and enjoyed it immensely all throughout the season. The backside of the hill has some of the best lines and lots of ungroomed trails through the trees.
The tickets and passes vary in pricing from year-to-year, but you can see Disco pricing here. It’s a small family-operated hill that is very easy to get to, no wait times at the lifts, and really good snow. I quite like going midweek after a fresh snow.
Once the park closes after the first week of April, it remains open for uphill skiing. You can take your backcountry set up and skin up whichever trail you please and then ski down untouched trails over a mile long. After skinning up the mountain, I like to enjoy hot cocoa and epic views in the pristine silence that is a wintry forest.
Once all of the snow melts, then it turns into a bike park. You can buy tickets to the bike park here for either a scenic ride up the chairlift, a single ride park pass, or an all mountain day pass.
The bike park is designed for all levels and professionally maintained so that it’s smooth riding conditions.
Every year in October, Discovery Bike Park and Anaconda Trail Society puts on 6 Hours of Disco, a bike event that takes you through the Echo Lakes trails and finishes at the base of Discovery Ski Area. This year it is happening Saturday, October 11, 2025 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. You can see more details here.
Soak at Fairmont Hot Springs Resort
Fairmont Hot Springs Resort is where families with rambunctious children go to hang out in a pool for hours at a time. It’s good fun and in a picturesque location, though you need to book a room to go to the pools.
If you stay at the Fairmont RV Park then you can get access to the pools as well but for a much smaller price tag.
Where To Eat In Anaconda
Listen, Anaconda is a food desert and quality options are really hard to come by. If you’re just visiting, then there are a few spots around town that provide decent meals and atmosphere.
As a yogi, myself, I’m generally vegetarian (it aligns with the yogic principles outlined in the eight limbs of yoga) so I mostly cook at home because there aren’t many veggie options around town. And what veggie options there are, they aren’t very healthy.
That being said, here are places where I’ve eaten (and then continue to return to) and what I like about them:
- Adella Coffee: I’ve lived all over the world, including a few years in Australia (which, iykyk), and so my coffee standards have gotten quite high. Impossibly high in Montana. Adella Coffee is the only coffee that I’ve found that makes me glad I’m drinking it. You can stop in at the pour-over counter on Tuesdays and Thursdays at Anaconda Outdoor.
- O’bella: O’bella is an Italian restaurant really takes pride in their menu. Everything is made of quality ingredients and made in-house from scratch. Their espressos are also worthy of my snobby little nose, so if you like espresso then you can get one while you’re there.
- Gallicano’s Pizzeria: Gallicano’s is the best pizza I’ve possibly ever had, and that’s crazy considering it’s right here in Anaconda. Bill, the owner, is from New York so I think that tells you everything you need to know about the place. You can call ahead to order a whole pizza, or buy it by the slice when you walk in. They usually have a Cheese, Veggie, Pepperoni, and some kind of meat pizza available for by-the-slice. It’s made fresh so sometimes you have to wait while they have one in the oven, but it’s worth every single second.
- Coffee Corral: Coffee Corral is a quaint little diner café that has sandwiches, salads, and other little café items. I like to get the breakfast sandwich without meat (ask for it on a bagel!) and also the tuna melt (I’ve been eating fish the last couple of years, it’s helped open my dining horizons). They also have soy and oat milk for their lattes, which I really appreciate. And for this coffee snob, I’m pretty satisfied with their lattes, too.
- Peppermint Paddy’s: Peppermint Paddy’s recently got a major makeover by Heather, the woman who made O’Bella what it is today. It’s not my favorite style of food, though. Think: greasy burgers, cheese curds, grilled sandwiches. But there is always a time and place for that and if you’re craving greasy then this is a good spot to satisfy that craving. They also have kombucha, sparkling water, and beer on the menu, which makes it a fun place for a midday treat. I recommend the cheese curds a thousand times over.
- Firefly Café: Firefly Café is popular because Barb and Steve are popular. They are trained chefs and really take pride in their menu. Everything is made from scratch from high-quality ingredients. They are very serious about food sensitivities and take great care not to mix things with gluten, peanuts, and other items people are often sensitive to. The menu isn’t my style of food (lots of meat items and heavier dishes) but their dessert selection is downright sinful. The diner atmosphere is quaint and quiet and, honestly, Barb is just the sweetest.
- Jordi’s Cantina: Jordi’s brings the vibes and the margaritas. It’s a sports bar so lots of people go there to fill up on chips and salsa, beer, and television. I’ve been there a few times to meet up with people and enjoyed their fresh guacamole and margaritas. I’ve lived in Mexico and Southern California, so I can’t say that it lives up to those standards, but it’s the most ethnic food we have in Anaconda so I appreciate having it in the mix.
Closing Thoughts
This is just a taste of what Anaconda has to offer. Want more tips? Stop by the studio before or after class, or drop a comment below to start a chat.
