9 Best Rodeos in Yellowstone Country
See a list of the best including the World's Largest Outdoor Rodeo in Cheyenne.
Just about every town in the Yellowstone area has a rodeo throughout the year. Wyoming is the rodeo capital of the West. During a rodeo, cowboys and cowgirls put their skills to the test against legendary bulls, bucking broncs, crafty calves and hefty steers. Cowboys and cowgirls compete in events such as bareback bronc riding, bull riding, steer wrestling, steer roping, saddle bronc riding, calf roping and barrel racing.
Cheyenne Frontier Days, the Largest Outdoor Rodeo in the World
Cheyenne, Wyoming
July 21- 30, 2023.
On your way to Yellowstone, stop in Cheyenne, Wyoming, just two hours north of Rocky Mountain National Park. If you’ve timed it right, you’ll arrive in town for the world’s largest outdoor rodeo and western celebration where top professionals compete for more than $1 million in cash and prizes. Celebrating its 127th year in 2023, Cheyenne Frontier Days offers more than daily rodeo action.
Order brisket, beans, potatoes and cobbler at the Chuckwagon Experience. Stop by Indian Village where Native Americans have been performing since 1898, returning each year to entertain and educate visitors about American Indian heritage and culture with dances, handicrafts and storytelling. Rounding out the festivities is a carnival with rides, an air show, top-name entertainment like Tim McGraw and Eric Church, Professional Bull Riders, and several parades that include antique carriages and automobiles.
For more information:
(800) 227-6336
cfdrodeo.com
Cody Nite Rodeo
Cody, Wyoming
Cody, situated directly east of Yellowstone, is often called the “Rodeo Capital of the World,” thanks to the Cody Nite Rodeo, which performs nightly from June through August. The Cody Nite Rodeo features bareback riding, saddle bronc riding, barrel racing and steer wrestling. The action is non-stop. Bull riding tops off every evening and will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
In addition to the standard rodeo events, the Cody Nite Rodeo features a Novice Barrel Race for kids under 12, steer riding for those under the age of 14 and a calf scramble, where children from the audience are invited to participate in the crowd-pleasing event.
Cathy Ivory, Cody Nite Rodeo events coordinator, says the Cody Nite Rodeo is a high quality rodeo for people to see every night of the summer.
“This is the only place in the world where it is available,” she said. “That’s why Cody calls itself the Rodeo Capital of the World.”
For more information:
(800) 393-2639
www.codyyellowstone.org/what-to-do/rodeos
Wild West Yellowstone Rodeo
West Yellowstone, Montana
Attend a rodeo mid-June through August near Yellowstone’s most popular gateway, the west entrance at West Yellowstone, Montana. And now you can even ride a horse to the event with a Rodeo Ride Package from Creekside Trail Rides.
For more information:
(406) 560-6913
www.yellowstonerodeo.com
Last Chance Stampede and Fair
Helena, Montana
Get ready to wrangle some fun at the Last Chance Stampede and Fair the last week of July. This longtime Helena, Montana, tradition ropes in top-notch talent, including 2018 headliner Dustin Lynch with special guest Tyler Rich, for its four-day, family-oriented rodeo festival.
In two action-packed hours every night, PRCA Rodeo award-winning announcer Wayne Brooks makes even the newest rodeo fans feel at home, explaining what is unfolding before their eyes.
Held at the Lewis & Clark County Fairgrounds and Exhibit Hall, locals say there isn’t a bad seat in the house.
When you get hungry, be sure to veer over to the Kiwanis Club tent for a regionally famous Kiwanis Steak Sandwich.
“It’s the benchmark for how good the fair is,” says local Mike Gurnett. “You could own a five-star restaurant and come here and the Kiwanis sandwich would beat you.”
More Information:
(406) 457-8516
www.lewisandclarkcountyfairgrounds.com
Pioneer Days Rodeo
Lander, Wyoming
In Wyoming, Lander holds the popular Lander Pioneer Days Rodeo each summer. Being the oldest “paid” rodeo, it has been called the “Granddaddy of ‘Em All.” Check the site below for this year’s schedule.
For more information:
(800) 645-6233
windriver.org/event/pioneer-days-rodeo
Sheridan Rodeo
Sheridan, Wyoming
In Sheridan, there are rodeo events all summer long, including the Sheridan-WYO PRCA Rodeo, Don King Days Old West Rodeo (Labor Day), cowgirls and county rodeos, youth and college rodeos and team ropings.
The Sheridan WYO Rodeo, a top-ranked national professional rodeo, features some of the world’s best and has been held every July for more than 85 years. It’s a four-day event surrounded by a weeklong celebration. This rodeo features the nation’s top cowboys and cowgirls in nonstop, high-octane performances, plus the can’t-miss World Championship Indian Relay Races, boot kickoff, street dances, parade, bed races and carnival.
For more information:
(888) 596-6787
sheridanwyorodeo.com
Red Desert Rodeo
Rock Springs, Wyoming
Twice voted “the best mountain states circuit PRCA rodeo,” the event consists of three performances: a PRCA Pro Rodeo, a Coors Chute Out and Dodge Truck Rodeo that attracts big-name competitors. The Red Desert Rodeo is a “single go,” which means there will be different cowboys participating in each performance.
For more information:
www.rdrrodeo.com
Deer Creek Days
Glenrock, Wyoming
Ranch-style rodeo takes center stage the first weekend in August as Glenrock hosts Deer Creek Days, one of small-town America’s best community celebrations. From the parade to the pancake breakfast to the gathering in the park, mark your calendar for this fun-filled weekend.
For more information:
conversecountytourism.com
Livingston Roundup Rodeo
Livingston, Montana
The Livingston Roundup Rodeo has a long history as it began in Livingston, Montana, in July 1925. Every year on July 2, 3 and 4, the Livingston Roundup Rodeo, a Professional Rodeo Cowboy Association and Women’s Professional Rodeo Association event, convenes nightly at 8 p.m. where top hands compete in saddle bronc, bareback, team roping, tie-down roping, steer wrestling, bull riding and barrel racing. In 2016, the association will pony up $96,000.00 ($12,000 per event) along with contestant entry fees for a total purse far in excess of $200,000.00.
The Livingston Roundup Rodeo is the largest in the Montana Circuit of the PRCA by purse and the current board of directors continues that tradition with some of the finest rodeo action that the West has to offer,” and some of the best rough stock in the country. The rodeo announcer continues to be award-winning Steve Kenyon.
For more information:
(406) 222-3199
Livingston Roundup Association, Box 800, Livingston, MT 59047
livingstonroundup.com