From Trails to Treasure - Geocaching Montana, Anaconda Style
- marsha7170
- Feb 6
- 4 min read
It was a spring-like February morning. Morning light spilled over the Anaconda Range, washing it in gold. I could have spent the day skiing at Discovery Ski Area or gliding along the Mount Haggin Nordic Trails, but instead, I chose a different kind of adventure—one that combines curiosity, skill, and the thrill of discovery: geocaching.
I’ve always been drawn to the earth—rocks, rivers, slopes, and the subtle clues they leave behind. Geocaching felt like the perfect way to
explore it all: a modern treasure hunt where the thrill isn’t owning something, but finding it, solving the clues, and connecting with the world around you.
Using the free Geocaching.com app, I learned that geocaching Montana is a big thing, and it specifically includes Anaconda as a destination. I set out to explore the caches around Pintler’s Portal Hostel, my base for the day. The area is a geocacher’s dream: 7 caches within a quarter mile, 8 more within 5 miles, and countless others scattered across mountains, valleys, and historic sites. That’s 15 unique adventures waiting just steps or bike rides from the hostel.
What Is Geocaching, Really?
At its heart, geocaching is simple: people hide containers—called caches—for others to find. Some are tiny, just a logbook to sign. Others are large ammo boxes filled with trinkets for trade. Some are hidden in plain sight in town, others tucked deep in forests or perched atop ridges
There are traditional caches, mystery caches (requiring puzzle-solving), and multi-stage adventures that take you along a trail, revealing coordinates step by step.
It’s a worldwide community of explorers, problem-solvers, and adventurers. You can take your kids, your friends, or just yourself. The challenge is finding the cache. The reward? The adventure itself—and the stories you’ll tell along the way.
My Adventure: New Hill-Top Cache
I set my sights on the New Hill-Top geocache, starting with a short bike ride over the 1.9 miles from the hostel to the Hearst Lake trailhead. Then it was a 0.3-mile hike gaining about 400 feet elevation—a perfect half-hour escape. Almost anyone can do it.
Along the trail, the landscape told stories of Anaconda’s smelter past: old water lines, slope stabilization booms, and excavations designed to protect the hillside. Each feature became a clue in a larger story, a living history lesson woven into the hike.
At the top, Mount Haggin dominated the skyline, snow-capped and majestic at 10,607 feet. Looking east, Fifer Gulch and beaver ponds drew the eye to A-Hill and C-Hill, the southern sentinels of the town and the historic smelter stack. Forests of Doug fir, spruce, limber pine, and golden aspen groves—clonal colonies genetically linked beneath the soil—adding vibrant color to the rugged landscape in the fall--slumbering in the winter.
I studied the clues provided in the app, and burrowing in the area the cache was said to be located. What a thrill to lift and branch and find it! This tiny little item hidden in nature that geocachers from around the world have found before me. I explored it's contents, read the names, provided my own, and noted in the app that I, too, had been here.
Finding the cache was thrilling. The view, breathtaking. The sense of discovery, unmatched.
It’s the kind of experience that reminds you why Montana is called Big Sky Country.
Beyond Lunch: Adventures for Every Explorer
For casual geocachers, the town offers short walks and park trails to secret hiding spots in the middle of town or in the park. For the more adventurous, the area opens into half-day or full-day adventures:
Washoe Park & Lorry Thomas Urban Wildlife Area – Beavers, trout, and multiple caches along forested trails.
Copper Way Regional Trail – Follow Silver Bow Creek from Anaconda to Butte with hidden
treasures along the way.
Hearst Lake Trail – An easily accessible, moderate climb rewarded with sweeping mountain views and wildlife.
No matter the pace, there’s a cache for you—and Pintler’s Portal Hostel is the perfect base. Walk out the door to town caches, hop on a bike, or drive a few miles and readlly challenge yourself by exploring the mountains. After a day of adventure, return to comfortable lodging, local insights, and the kind of community that makes every geocaching trip feel like home.
Bring the Next Generation
With the New Hill-Top cache behind me, I started planning the next adventures—this time with my grandkids in tow. There are six more local caches waiting for discovery, and I can’t wait to see their eyes light up with every find.
Whether you’re a first-timer, a family seeking a weekend of exploration, or a seasoned geocacher chasing the next view, Anaconda offers a world of hidden treasures—and Pintler’s Portal Hostel is the perfect base.
Start Your Adventure Today
Don’t just read about it—experience it. Book your stay at Pintler’s Portal Hostel, grab your smartphone, and set out to uncover the caches that make Anaconda a geocacher’s paradise. Whether you're solo or a group of 30, we can accommodate you. From town strolls to mountain climbs, every day is a new adventure waiting to be found.
Adventure is calling—answer it.
By Steve Hill, Geologist, Student of Mother Nature
& Owner of Pintler's Portal Hostel
Where Adventure Gathers
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