Part of the JET Hospitality America 250 Series Celebrating 250 years of the most American pastimes we know — saddles, arenas, wide-open country, and small towns that still do things the right way.
Dirt. Dust. Eight seconds of pure adrenaline. Four stops.
One summer road trip you’ll still be talking about in October.
There’s a reason rodeo never went away.
No app gets you there. No algorithm explains it. You just have to stand in the dirt, hear the announcer crackle over the loudspeaker, and watch a cowboy hold on for dear life while several hundred pounds of disagreement tries to shake him loose. That’s America. That’s summer in the West.
This year, we’re building a road trip concept around four JET Hospitality properties that put you right in the middle of it — three in Wyoming, one in Idaho. Medicine Bow. Buffalo. Powell. Tetonia. Each one a genuine basecamp for real rodeo country.
We’re not handing you an itinerary. We’re handing you a basecamp. You pick the rodeos, the dates, the order. We’ll handle the beds and the parking.
“The West doesn’t perform rodeo for tourists. It just does rodeo and you’re welcome to show up.”
The Four Stops
The Historic Virginian Hotel
→ Medicine Bow, Wyoming
Built in 1911, the Virginian has been waiting for you. This isn’t a themed hotel — it’s the real thing. The Shiloh Saloon is exactly what it sounds like. The Owen Wister Dining Room is named after the man who basically invented the Western novel. And Medicine Bow itself is pure, unfiltered Wyoming.
Need more room? The Virginian Motor Inn sits just a quarter mile down the road — same JET ownership, same handshake hospitality, a little more space to spread out. Between the two, there’s a setup for every kind of traveler in your crew.
Carbon County rodeo season runs all summer. The Woodchoppers Jamboree & Rodeo is a classic WRA-sanctioned event held every Father’s Day weekend in Encampment, WY (about 80 miles away — worth every mile). The Carbon County Fair PRCA Rodeo runs August 1–8 in Rawlins, and 2026 marks its 100th annual edition.
Rodeo Resources Nearby
→ Woodchoppers Jamboree & Rodeo — Father’s Day weekend · Encampment, WY (~80 mi) · woodchoppersjamboree.org
→ Carbon County Fair PRCA Rodeo — Aug 1–8, 2026 · Rawlins, WY · 100th annual · carboncountyfairgrounds.com
→ Platte River Rodeo — Saratoga, WY · wyomingcarboncounty.com for dates
📍 wyomingcarboncounty.com/events
JET Motor Inn – Buffalo
→ Buffalo, Wyoming
Buffalo sits right at the base of the Bighorn Mountains on I-90 — a natural road trip stop and a seriously underrated rodeo town. The Range War Rodeo is a WRA-sanctioned series with live music, vendors, free gate admission, and the kind of no-frills Western night that big-city events can’t replicate.
The Lee Martinez Memorial Xtreme Bulls — an official PRCA Xtreme Bulls tour stop — kicks off the summer on May 30, 2026, bringing the top bull riders in the world to Johnson County Fairgrounds. Free to attend. The kind of night you don’t need a reason to be there.
Longmire fans, this is your stop too — Longmire Days in July brings the cast to Buffalo. Free Thursday bluegrass nights at the historic Occidental Saloon round out a stop worth a slow down.
Rodeo Resources Nearby
→ Lee Martinez Memorial Xtreme Bulls — Sat, May 30, 2026 · PRCA Xtreme Bulls Tour · Johnson County Fairgrounds · Free · foreverwest.events
→ Range War Rodeo Series — June 19, July 17, Aug 21, 2026 · Johnson County Fairgrounds · Free gate · rangewarrodeo.com
→ Johnson County Fair & Rodeo — July 24–Aug 2
📍 isitbuffalowy.com/events · rangewarrodeo.com
JET Motor Inn – Powell
→ Powell, Wyoming
Powell is the move if you want rodeo royalty. You’re 25 minutes from Cody — home of the Cody Nite Rodeo, which runs every single night from June 1 through August 31. Gates open at 7pm, rodeo starts at 8pm. Not a typo: every night, all summer, no scheduling required.
The Cody Stampede Rodeo (July 1–4) is the marquee event — a PRCA rodeo voted best small rodeo at the NFR in 2025 and inducted into the PRCA Rodeo Hall of Fame. Staying in Powell puts you right in the mix without Cody hotel prices. You’re also about an hour from Yellowstone’s East Entrance, if you want to bookend rodeo nights with a wildlife detour.
Rodeo Resources Nearby
→ Cody Nite Rodeo — nightly June 1–Aug 31 · gates 7pm, rodeo 8pm · codystampederodeo.com
→ Cody Stampede Rodeo — July 1–4 · PRCA Rodeo Hall of Fame event
→ Park County Fair — July 21–25
📍 codystampederodeo.com · codyyellowstone.org/events
Teton Peaks Resort
→ Tetonia, Idaho
You’ve done Wyoming. Now cross the Tetons into Idaho and end your road trip on the quiet side. Teton Valley is a local’s secret — Grand Teton views without Grand Teton crowds, and a Friday night rodeo that runs all summer for $15 adults, $10 kids.
The Teton Valley Rodeo runs every Friday from June 19 through August 21, 2026, plus the 4th of July. Swap out a hotel room for a Tiny Home or glamping tent, park your rig in the valley, and close out the road trip right — mountains and the last of summer doing its thing above Driggs.
Rodeo Resources Nearby
→ Teton Valley Rodeo — every Friday, June 19–Aug 21, 2026 + July 4 · Adults $15, Kids $10 · Driggs, ID · tetonvalleyrodeo.com
→ Ridgeview Pro Rodeo — June 12–13 · ridgeviewprorodeo.com
→ Jackson Hole Rodeo — jhrodeo.com
📍 tetonvalleyrodeo.com · yellowstoneteton.com/events
Medicine Bow → Buffalo → Powell → Tetonia.
Or flip it. Or just pick one stop and day-trip to the rodeo.
There’s no wrong way to do this trip — the whole point is getting out there.
HOW TO DO THIS TRIP
Pick Your Rodeo
Check the event calendars for each stop. Every property has its own local circuit — some run weekly all summer, some are one weekend only. Build around what works.
Book Your Stops
Lock in nights early, summer rodeo weekends fill up fast. Hotel rooms, RV sites, tiny homes or glamping tents – every JET Outpost property has options to fit you.
Show Up Ready
Boots optional. Sense of adventure required. These are real Western towns with real rodeos. Find a spot on the bleachers and let Wyoming and Idaho do the rest.