Shoshone Rose Casino and Hotel Review for April 2026

Shoshone Rose Casino and Hotel is not the kind of place that announces itself loudly. Sitting five miles north of Lander on US Highway 287, owned and operated by the Eastern Shoshone Tribe of the Wind River Reservation, it's a compact, well-run property in a part of Wyoming that most travellers treat as a corridor rather than a destination.

That's a shame, because the Wind River Mountains rising behind it are among the most spectacular in the Rockies. Lander itself is one of the great outdoor adventure towns in the American West, and Shoshone Rose, which opened in 2007 and expanded significantly in 2016 to add a hotel, restaurant and lounge, has quietly become one of the more characterful places to stay in the whole of central Wyoming.

The gaming floor is modest in scale, the hotel is clean and comfortable, and every room faces a mountain view that tends to stop people mid-sentence when they first see it. It's not trying to be a resort destination. It's trying to be a very good version of exactly what it is, and it largely succeeds.

The address is 5690 US Highway 287, Lander, WY 82520 and it sits right on US-287, the main artery through central Wyoming's Wind River Country. That makes it straightforward to find whether you're heading north toward Dubois and the Tetons or south toward Rawlins and I-80.

From Riverton, the nearest significant town, it's about 25 miles. Jackson Hole is roughly two and a half hours north. Yellowstone's south entrance is around three hours. Grand Teton National Park is about 140 miles away, making it a feasible day trip. Riverton Regional Airport is 36 miles away, though there's no airport shuttle available so you'll need a car either way.

Parking is free and plentiful, with space for both standard vehicles and RVs. There are even dedicated RV parking spaces on site for travellers in larger rigs. EV charging stations are also available, which is a forward-thinking detail for a property of this size in a rural area.

Walking in through the main entrance, the casino floor is immediately visible and it sets the tone for the whole property: clean, well-lit, and welcoming. The 44,585 square foot gaming floor is compact by major resort standards but it doesn't feel cramped, and the layout makes it easy to navigate.

One notable change came into effect from October 31, 2025, when smoking was reintroduced to the casino floor after a period of operating completely smoke-free. A designated non-smoking area remains available for guests who prefer it, so the property hasn't abandoned the smoke-free option entirely, but it's worth knowing that the main floor now allows smoking. The hotel itself continues to be entirely non-smoking throughout.

The casino is open daily from 10am to 2am, which is a shorter operating window than some casino floors. If you're an early morning player or a late-night session type, that's worth bearing in mind before visiting.

Table Games

Five live table games cover the key options, but it also has a bit of a ‘bare minimum’ feel to it. The table game selection includes Blackjack, Roulette, Craps, Baccarat, and Keno, and there are video poker machines throughout the floor. It's not an extensive table game selection but it covers the bases for a property of this size.

Slots

There are more than 400 slot machines on the casino floor with Aristocrat well represented through titles like Big Red, Wonder 4 Tower, Wonder 4 Stars, and Lightning Link.

The Hot Drop Jackpots promotion also runs around the clock, with jackpots dropping hourly, daily, and before a pot reaches $250,000, which adds a layer of excitement to the floor that keeps things interesting even on quieter days.

The machines are not the super-latest like those you’ll find elsewhere, but they are kept in good condition. I mean, button-smashers still leave their trail of needless destruction, as they do with everywhere else they tread, but it’s generally fine.

Free non-alcoholic beverages are available from the snack bar on the gaming floor.

Rewards Club

The Rose Rewards Club is the property's loyalty scheme and is free to join at the Players Club desk. Earned points can be redeemed for freeplay, dining credits at the restaurant, and surprisingly generous hotel room discounts.

Monthly promotions, hot seat drawings, and special event entries all run through the club, making it worth getting your card before you start playing rather than after. That said, though, if you’re not planning return trips, I am not sure there is much in the Rewards Club for you.

A three-story hotel at Shoshone Rose opened in October 2016 alongside the expanded casino and immediately became one of the better hotel options in central Wyoming. With 61 rooms including six two-room suites, it's a compact property but one that seems to punch well above its size in terms of room quality and cleanliness.

Rooms

Every room in the hotel faces the Wind River Mountain Range, and this is genuinely one of the property's defining features. The views of the Winds from the upper floors, particularly at sunrise when the peaks catch the early light, are the kind of thing that makes you set an alarm, even on vacation.

Unlike the casino floor, all rooms are non-smoking and they come with free WiFi, microwaves, mini-fridges, coffee makers, cable TV, safes, blackout curtains, and air conditioning.

The room categories run from Standard Queen with two queen beds, Standard King, Queen Deluxe and King Deluxe with additional sitting and lounge areas, through to the full suites.

The King Deluxe rooms and above include the option of fireplaces, which in a Wyoming mountain setting in autumn or winter is not a small thing. The suites add jetted tubs and balconies overlooking the mountains, and they're the obvious choice for anyone making more than a one-night stop.

There are a couple more important things to note about a potential stay at Shoshone Rose Casino and Hotel. First, pets are not permitted at the property. That’s a bit of a downer. However, breakfast is included in the rate and is served at the Deka-Guy Hee restaurant, which is a nice bonus.

Where to Eat

The dining options at Shoshone Rose Casino and Hotel are not extensive by any imagination, but they cover the basics well enough.

By the way, Deka-Guy Hee takes its name from the Shoshone word for "The Eating House," which is a small detail that adds character to what would otherwise be a fairly standard casino restaurant.

The menu runs breakfast through dinner seven days a week, with expanded weekend hours on Fridays and Saturdays until 9pm. Indian tacos and fry bread are the dishes most worth seeking out in my experience. The dome-like dining room with its mountain views is also one of the nicer places to eat in Fremont County, and the free breakfast included with rooms makes it a very reasonable deal.

The Rosebud Lounge is a more recent addition and brings something the property previously lacked: a proper bar serving wines, beers, and handcrafted cocktails. Local bands perform in the lounge, and multiple large-screen TVs cover major sporting events. Meanwhile, the Snack Bar on the casino floor handles the quick-service needs and runs during gaming hours.

Pool and Spa

Given Wyoming's climate, indoor swimming is often the only realistic option for much of the year, and the pool is a welcome amenity rather than an afterthought. It's a proper swimming pool size with clear water and good maintenance. The hot tub is also large and well-maintained.

Sadly, there's no formal spa at the property beyond the hot tub, but for the type of travel experience Shoshone Rose caters to, the pool and hot tub combination is more than sufficient.

Entertainment

Shoshone Rose doesn't have a dedicated concert venue or major entertainment program, and it doesn't try to. The Rosebud Lounge hosts local bands and provides the main evening entertainment option on site beyond the gaming floor.

Where the property genuinely excels as an entertainment proposition is in what surrounds it. Lander is the basecamp for some of the finest outdoor adventures in the entire Rocky Mountain West. Sinks Canyon State Park is 17 miles away, where the Popo Agie River disappears into a limestone cavern and reemerges downstream in one of Wyoming's more remarkable geological wonders.

The Wind River Mountains offer world-class rock climbing, with Lander's position as a hub for the climbing community giving the town an energy that most Wyoming outposts lack. Hiking, fishing, mountain biking, kayaking, rafting, horseback riding, and hunting are all accessible within a short drive of the property. The hotel front desk is a good first stop for advice on where to go and what to do outside of the property.

Yellowstone is 241 miles away and Grand Teton National Park 142 miles, both within a reasonable day-trip range for guests who want to make the most of their central Wyoming position. South Pass City, one of Wyoming's best-preserved historic mining towns, is about an hour south.

Oh, and for the stargazers, outdoor fire pits are available on the property grounds, which are a particularly good option on clear Wyoming evenings when the sky fills with stars in a way that simply doesn't happen near a city.

Shoshone Rose Casino and Hotel occupies a niche that no other casino in Wyoming fills quite as well. It's not competing with Wind River for gaming volume or Sandia for resort amenity depth.

What it offers is something more specific: a genuinely well-run, clean, and characterful base in one of Wyoming's most underrated corners, with mountain views from every room, a restaurant that takes its Eastern Shoshone heritage seriously, a lounge that has grown into a proper social hub, and a surrounding landscape that arguably provides more compelling entertainment than any casino floor could manage.

The reintroduction of smoking to the main casino floor from late 2025 is, for me, a downside, and the gaming operation is modest in scale. But for road-trippers, outdoor adventurers, or anyone looking for an authentic Wyoming experience rather than a generic overnight stop, Shoshone Rose is far more than the sum of its modest parts.