How Much Coal Does It Take to Smelt a Stack

About the Park

The old Anaconda Copper Company smelter stack, completed in 1919, is one of the tallest free-standing brick structures in the world at 585 feet. The inside diameter is 75 feet at the bottom, tapering to 60 feet at the top. In comparison, the Washington Monument is 555 feet tall.

The stack dominates the landscape like the company once dominated the area's economic life. Since the smelter closed in 1980, the stack has become a symbol of the challenges that face communities dependent on finite resources.

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the stack may be viewed and photographed only from a distance. Interpretive signs that detail its history are located in the viewing site near Goodman Park.

Activities

Exhibit
Heritage
History
Photography

Amenities

Some amenities are seasonal. Check with the park for availability.

Interpretive Display

Seasons & Hours

Hours listed below are normal operating hours and may not apply when there is a special restriction or closure. Check Alerts and Closures in the tab below.

Park
Open daily all year
Daylight hours

Park Rules

Volunteer

Contact the park manager for open volunteer positions at Anaconda Smoke Stack State Park.

For complete position descriptions, application forms, and details about Montana State Parks volunteer programs, visit the Volunteers page.

Fees

Montana Residents

Montana residents who pay the $9 state parks fee with their annual vehicle registration have no daily entrance fees to state parks. For residents who don't include this in their vehicle registration, non-resident day use fees apply.

Nonresidents

Day use entrance fee with a vehicle:$8
Day use entrance fee as a walk-in, bicycle or bus passenger:$4
With a Nonresident Entrance Pass: Free

Alerts & Closures

None

Contact Information

Mailing Address:
Anaconda Smoke Stack State Park
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
PO Box 489
Whitehall, MT 59759

Phone: 406-287-3541
Email: tforwood@mt.gov

To keep our state parks safe and accessible to all, make sure you know before you go, practice physical distancing, plan ahead, play it safe, explore locally, leave no trace, respect wildlife, and do your part to build an inclusive outdoors.

Visit the Recreate Responsibly page for more information

Anaconda Smoke Stack State Park

100 Smelter Road
Anaconda, MT 59711
Latitude/Longitude:
(46.12319 / -112.93143)

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Tom Forwood manages Lost Creek, Anaconda Smoke Stack and Granite Ghost Town state parks and is also Lewis & Clark Caverns State Park Assistant Manager. Tom started at the Caverns in 1999 as a Tour Guide, worked at Missouri Headwaters State Park as a Park Ranger and has been at the Caverns as Park Ranger since 2003. Tom is well known for his interpretive skills and extensive knowledge of natural resources. He brings extensive experience in overall park operations, visitor services, interpretation, and resource protection.

CONTACT INFO
Mailing Address:
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks
PO Box 489
Whitehall, MT 59759