Monte Vista's Ski Hi Stampede has run since 1919

Every July, Monte Vista fills up for the Ski Hi Stampede, which the event itself bills as Colorado’s oldest pro rodeo. The first one ran in 1919, and it has carried on long enough that 2026 marks the 104th annual gathering, scheduled for July 9 through 12. The rodeo is sanctioned by the PRCA (Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association), so the riders and ropers competing in the arena are working the same circuit as cowboys across the country.

What makes it feel less like a stadium show and more like a valley tradition is everything around the rodeo. A parade rolls through downtown Monte Vista on Friday and Saturday mornings, and the days fill in with a carnival, live music, dances after the rides, and kids’ mutton busting. For a town surrounded by potato fields and cattle ranches at 7,600 feet, the Stampede is a yearly window into the San Luis Valley’s ranching identity, where the people in the stands often raise the animals the rest of the year.

If you want to plan a visit, the official site posts the schedule, ticket dates, and the year’s lineup: skihistampede.com.