Wyoming Rodeo Road Trip 2027: Three Routes, One Home Base
By Dalton Goodyear, Responsible Broker, Wyo Stays LLC · Sheridan, Wyoming · Last checked: September 19, 2026
A Wyoming rodeo road trip in summer 2027 can string together five or more PRCA rodeos in three weeks without a single flight. The anchor is the 97th Sheridan WYO Rodeo, July 14–17, 2027, at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds. From Sheridan, three routes reach Montana, the Black Hills, and the rest of Wyoming, each within a half-day's drive. Below: the routes, the drive times, the dates that are confirmed, and the ones that aren't yet.
The short version
- Confirmed for 2027: Sheridan WYO Rodeo (July 14–17), Cheyenne Frontier Days (July 23–August 1), Days of '76 in Deadwood (July 25–31).
- Expected, not yet posted by the organizer: Cody Stampede, Red Lodge, Livingston, Black Hills Roundup, Ten Sleep, Casper, Longmire Days, Sheridan County Fair, Crow Fair, and the Indian Relay Championship of Champions. Dates below follow each event's usual week. We re-check every organizer site monthly. See the full Wyoming & Montana rodeo calendar for 2027.
- Home base: Sheridan. Every route below starts and ends here, and Sheridan is the one town on the map where we manage homes you can book direct.
Why Sheridan is the base
Sheridan sits on I-90 where the Bighorn Mountains meet the plains. Billings is about two hours north. Gillette is about an hour and a half east, Deadwood about three and a half. Casper is a little over two hours south. Cody is about three hours west over the Bighorns on US-14. No other rodeo town in the region has that many rodeos inside a day's drive, and none of them is the middle of the map the way Sheridan is.
Rodeo week itself runs July 12–18, 2027. Four PRCA performances and the World Championship Indian Relay run July 14–17. The Main Street parade, the pancake breakfast, the Sneakers & Spurs 5K, and the First Peoples' Pow Wow fill the days around them. Tickets are sold only through sheridanwyorodeo.com; third-party tickets are not honored. Wyo Stays is an independent lodging company and is not affiliated with the Sheridan WYO Rodeo. Our Sheridan WYO Rodeo 2027 lodging guide covers the week in detail.
One distinction worth getting right: Sheridan's World Championship Indian Relay is part of the WYO Rodeo, July 14–17, at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds. The Indian Relay Championship of Champions is a separate event run by the Horse Nations Indian Relay Council, held at Frontier Park in Cheyenne in late September (September 25–27 in 2026). They are different races, different towns, different months. Our Indian Relay guide explains what you'll see in Sheridan.
Route 1: The Montana loop
Best window: July 1–4, then back for Sheridan July 14–17. Or mid-August for Crow Fair.
Driving: roughly 560 miles over four to six days.
The Fourth of July belongs to Montana. Red Lodge's Home of Champions Rodeo and the Livingston Roundup both run July 1–4 most years (2027 dates expected, not yet posted). They are two hours apart, so pick one for the nights and drive past the other in daylight.
- Sheridan → Crow Agency, about 1 hr 10 min. Stop at Little Bighorn Battlefield. Our Little Bighorn day-trip guide has the timing. If you come in mid-August instead, this is Crow Fair country: the parade and rodeo at Crow Agency usually land in the second or third week of August (August 12–17 in 2026).
- Crow Agency → Billings, about 1 hour. Fuel, groceries, a night if you want one.
- Billings → Red Lodge, about 1 hr 15 min. Small-arena rodeo under the Beartooths. If it's a clear day, the Beartooth Highway to the Yellowstone northeast entrance is the best drive in the region, but count it as a full day, not a shortcut.
- Red Lodge → Livingston, about 2 hours via I-90. Livingston is the second Fourth of July rodeo on this loop.
- Livingston → Sheridan, about 4 hours. Straight back down I-90 in time for rodeo week.
Where this route stays in Sheridan: a downtown home so you can walk to the parade Friday morning and be at the fairgrounds in ten minutes. See downtown Sheridan vacation rentals.
Route 2: The Black Hills loop
Best window: July 11–31. Sheridan, Gillette, and Deadwood line up back to back in 2027.
Driving: roughly 450 miles over ten days to three weeks, depending on how long you stay put.
2027 is a good year for this loop. The National High School Finals Rodeo is reported to return to the Cam-Plex in Gillette July 11–17, 2027. That came out in press coverage in September 2026, and the organizer's site had not posted it when we checked, so we list it as expected. Sheridan runs July 14–17. Days of '76 in Deadwood is confirmed for July 25–31, 2027. If you start early, the Black Hills Roundup in Belle Fourche usually runs June 30–July 4.
- Sheridan → Gillette, about 1.5 hours. NHSFR is a week-long event with performances morning and night. Base in Sheridan and drive over for a day, or the reverse.
- Gillette → Deadwood, about 1 hr 45 min. Days of '76 is a PRCA rodeo with a parade and a museum on site. Deadwood lodging fills for this week; we don't manage homes there, so book early with a local operator.
- Deadwood → Belle Fourche, about 30 minutes. Only if your dates are around the Fourth.
- Devils Tower on the way back, about 1.5 hours from Deadwood and about 2.5 hours from Sheridan. Our Devils Tower day-trip guide covers it.
- Deadwood → Sheridan, about 3.5 hours.
Where this route stays in Sheridan: a larger home for a family or crew that will be in and out for ten days. See group cabins in Sheridan and our Black Hills from Sheridan guide for the rest of the drive.
Route 3: Statewide, north to south
Best window: June 30–August 1. Cody, Ten Sleep, Casper, Sheridan, Cheyenne, in that order.
Driving: roughly 930 miles over three weeks. This is the long one.
Wyoming's biggest rodeos run in a chain down the state in July. The chain in 2027 looks like this: Cody Stampede around June 30–July 4 (expected), Ten Sleep's Fourth of July Rodeo July 3–4 (expected), Central Wyoming Fair & PRCA Rodeo in Casper the first or second week of July (expected; July 3–11 in 2026), Sheridan July 14–17 (confirmed), Cheyenne Frontier Days July 23–August 1 (confirmed). The Wyoming State Fair & Rodeo in Douglas usually follows in mid-August.
- Sheridan → Cody, about 3 hours over US-14. The Cody Nite Rodeo runs every night at 8 pm from June 1 through August 31, so any night works if you miss the Stampede itself. Our Cody from Sheridan guide has the mountain pass details.
- Cody → Ten Sleep, about 2.5 hours through Greybull and Worland. Ten Sleep's rodeo runs July 3–4 in a town of a few hundred people. We manage cabins here: see Ten Sleep cabin rentals.
- Ten Sleep → Thermopolis, about 1 hr 20 min. Hot springs and, in late June most years, the Thermopolis Cowboy Rendezvous PRCA rodeo. Our Thermopolis hot springs guide covers the state park.
- Thermopolis → Casper, about 2.5 hours via Shoshoni. The Central Wyoming Fair & PRCA Rodeo is a full fair week.
- Casper → Sheridan, a little over 2 hours on I-25 and I-90. Rodeo week.
- Sheridan → Cheyenne, about 5 hours. Cheyenne Frontier Days is the largest outdoor rodeo in the world and needs its own week. Sheridan does not fit as a base for it; drive down and stay.
Where this route stays in Sheridan: the middle week, July 12–18, in a home close to the fairgrounds. Our Sheridan WYO Rodeo 2027 lodging guide lets you filter homes by drive time to the fairgrounds and by group size. Buffalo, 35 minutes south, is the overflow town, and we manage cabins in Buffalo too. Longmire Days in Buffalo landed on July 16–19 in 2026 and may overlap Sheridan's rodeo weekend in 2027; check longmiredays.com before you commit.
Drive times, all together
Every drive time on this page is an estimate for a summer day at highway speed with no construction. Mountain passes add time. Check your map app before you leave.
| From | To | Road | About |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sheridan | Buffalo | I-90 | 35 min |
| Sheridan | Gillette | I-90 | 1.5 hr |
| Sheridan | Crow Agency | I-90 | 1 hr 10 min |
| Sheridan | Billings | I-90 | 2 hr |
| Sheridan | Casper | I-90 / I-25 | 2 hr 15 min |
| Sheridan | Cody | US-14 | 3 hr |
| Sheridan | Deadwood | I-90 / US-85 | 3 hr 30 min |
| Sheridan | Cheyenne | I-90 / I-25 | 5 hr |
| Billings | Red Lodge | US-212 | 1 hr 15 min |
| Red Lodge | Livingston | I-90 | 2 hr |
| Livingston | Sheridan | I-90 | 4 hr |
| Gillette | Deadwood | I-90 / US-85 | 1 hr 45 min |
| Cody | Ten Sleep | US-14 / US-16 | 2 hr 30 min |
| Ten Sleep | Thermopolis | US-16 / US-20 | 1 hr 20 min |
| Thermopolis | Casper | US-20 / US-26 | 2 hr 30 min |
| Casper | Douglas | I-25 | 50 min |
What to know before you go
Summer rodeos in this region share a few rules. Most PRCA rodeos here sell reserved seats through the organizer's site only, and most sell out the weekend performances first. Sheridan allows no coolers, backpacks, or large bags at the fairgrounds, and only service dogs. Cheyenne and Deadwood publish similar bag rules. Buy tickets when they go on sale, usually January through April, and book lodging the same week. Sheridan rodeo-week homes are typically gone months ahead; the same is true in Deadwood and Cheyenne.
Mountain weather matters more than the calendar. Afternoon thunderstorms are routine in July. The Bighorn passes on US-14 and US-16 are open all summer, but a storm can slow a mountain crossing by an hour. Our Bighorn Mountains road closures post tracks the passes.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Sheridan WYO Rodeo in 2027?
The 97th Sheridan WYO Rodeo runs July 14–17, 2027, at the Sheridan County Fairgrounds, 1753 Victoria St, Sheridan, Wyoming. Rodeo week runs July 12–18. Tickets are sold only through sheridanwyorodeo.com.
Which Wyoming and Montana rodeos have confirmed 2027 dates?
As of September 19, 2026, four have: Miles City Bucking Horse Sale (May 13–16), Sheridan WYO Rodeo (July 14–17), Cheyenne Frontier Days (July 23–August 1), and Days of '76 in Deadwood (July 25–31). The rest are expected on their usual weeks and marked that way on our calendar until each organizer posts 2027 dates.
Can you see more than one PRCA rodeo in a week from Sheridan?
Yes. The National High School Finals Rodeo is reported to return to Gillette July 11–17, 2027, overlapping the Sheridan WYO Rodeo (July 14–17), and Gillette is about an hour and a half from Sheridan. Cheyenne Frontier Days and Days of '76 overlap the following week, though they are several hours apart by road.
Is the World Championship Indian Relay the same as the Indian Relay Championship of Champions?
No. The World Championship Indian Relay is part of the Sheridan WYO Rodeo, July 14–17, 2027, in Sheridan. The Indian Relay Championship of Champions is a separate Horse Nations event at Frontier Park in Cheyenne in late September.
How far is Sheridan from Cheyenne Frontier Days?
About 325 miles, or roughly five hours by road. Cheyenne is a separate trip, not a day trip from Sheridan.
Where should I stay for a Wyoming rodeo road trip?
Base in Sheridan for the middle of July. Wyo Stays manages homes in Sheridan, Buffalo, and Ten Sleep that you can book direct with no channel fee. For Deadwood, Cheyenne, Cody, Casper, and the Montana towns, book with a local operator early; we don't manage homes there.
Wyo Stays LLC is a licensed Wyoming real estate brokerage at 151 W Brundage St, Sheridan, WY 82801. We are an independent lodging company and are not affiliated with any rodeo named on this page. Dates marked "expected" are based on each event's usual schedule and will be updated when the organizer posts 2027 dates.
Own a home along one of these routes? Wyo Stays manages vacation rentals across northern Wyoming. See our owner pages for Casper, Riverton, Douglas, Greybull, Lovell, Thermopolis, and Worland.