Anaconda, Montana, has its roots in copper — well, copper smelting, that is. Copper ore was mined nearby, but the process of extracting the copper from the ore happened in Anaconda. Decades of cleanup and restoration followed the smelting site’s closure in 1980, and recreation is now poised to play a larger role in the future of Anaconda.
Montana is putting roughly $2 million from its Natural Resource Damage Program (NRDP) toward recreation in the city. And a good chunk of that funding is going toward new trails at the former copper smelting site.
Copper Link is the start, serving as a new “backbone” of the community
“The Anaconda Smelter processed copper ore from nearby Butte and was the backbone of the local economy,” Emily Adams, President of Anaconda Trail Society (ATS), told Singletracks.
Recreation and trails could be a new backbone, with the newly built Copper Link trail (appropriately named) serving that purpose. Adams shared that it was originally called the “Foundation Trail” and was built to serve two purposes. First, ATS wanted to build an accessible trail that could be accessed right from town. Next, they wanted Copper Link to “serve as the backbone for a larger trail system.”
Copper Link is a roughly 3-mile trail that climbs over 400 feet above Anaconda, passes through conifer forests and aspen groves, and offers spectacular views of the city. One such vantage point overlooks the Anaconda Smelter stack, which is still in place.
The trail is green and designed to be multi-use. However, it does feature a few punchy climbs, rolling grade reversals, and bermed turns, “so you can have fun pumping through it rather than feeling like you’re just riding a flat beginner trail.”
While the NRDP funds are helping with big-picture recreation plans in Anaconda, ATS played a significant role in getting Copper Link up and running. ATS fundraised for the trail design, then secured a $60,000 Trail Stewardship Grant from Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks that required the club to match the funds.
Adams said the NRDP funding helped wrap up the Copper Link project, but more went toward the other trails built this summer.
There are 5 more miles of new trail on the north side of town
“There aren’t industrial ruins directly incorporated into Copper Link, but the setting itself tells that story,” Adams said. “You’re riding across hills that were heavily impacted by Anaconda’s smelting history and are now green, revegetated, and being used for recreation. To me, that transformation is one of the coolest features of the trail.”
If you’re looking for direct remnants of copper smelting history, Adams points riders to the five new miles of trail that were also built this summer. While Copper Link is south of Anaconda, these new trails are located just north of town.
“One of those trails passes by a historic flume that once served the smelting operations, so pieces of Anaconda’s industrial history are woven throughout the larger trail system.”
The three other trails built this summer — 101, 102, and 103 (Adams said they aren’t named yet) — also lean toward beginner-friendly. Trails 101 and 103 are both green, while 102 is blue. All the new trails trade around 500 feet of elevation.
Like many areas building new trail systems, Anaconda is starting with easier trails to ensure access for all. Phat Trak Trail Company built Copper Link, while DeWolf Trail Excavation built the three trails on the north side of Anaconda.
Copper supported the economy, but now perhaps recreation can
“Anaconda has always had incredible recreation around it, but historically, a lot of our mountain biking meant knowing where to go, traveling out of town, exploring old roads, out-and-backs, and trails built long before modern mountain biking,” Adams said. “Now we’re starting to build an actual connected, purpose-built trail system.”
And one that is significantly closer to town. Anaconda, Montana, sits in an outdoor mecca between destinations like Missoula, Helena, and Bozeman. Especially when it comes to mountain biking, these are exactly the places that locals are heading — and trail access often means taking a road trip.
Adams told us that when the copper smelting site was closed decades ago, it left fairly widespread environmental contamination, but also a hole in the local economy. But the community was committed to cleanup, and over the decades, businesses began moving in and opening up shop. “Outdoor recreation is becoming a bigger part of our future,” she said.
The current plan dates back to 2023, when the county began an Open Lands planning process. Adams shared that a fairly extensive survey was conducted of the Anaconda community, specifically focused on what residents wanted to see happen with the old copper site. Trails were at the top of the list.
“That’s what makes this trail development so exciting,” Adams said. “These lands are recovering, and we now have an opportunity to bring people back onto them through trails and recreation while also contributing to the next chapter of Anaconda and its health.”
And Adams teased that this is just the “first phase of what’s to come.”
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