Shoshone Nations
Visiting Native American Nations
Native American nations can be fascinating places to visit, but make no mistake – you might tell yourself you are entering a sovereign nation when you cross the reservation boundary but you aren’t. You’ll still be bound by the registry laws of whatever US state you’re in.
Nor should you get any funny ideas if you are of native ancestry that you can somehow escape your registry status by moving to the reservation of whatever tribe you belong to. You can’t. As you must already realize, the oppression of the registry will follow you onto the reservation whether you’re a visitor or become a resident. That’s why I have included the registry laws of states like Wyoming, Idaho, Utah, Nevada and California in this blog entry, rather than any tribal registry laws. There may be a few tribal laws on the books but they’ve got bigger concerns than having yet another outsider passing through.
Another point that must be clearly made to anyone planning to travel to Indian Country is that you are NOT going to a tourist attraction. As I will explain below, this is especially true of the Shoshone. It’s not Pennsylvania Dutch Country where you as a tourist are invited to gawk at the locals driving their buggies and eat at an expensive smorgasbord. To the contrary, you are about to enter upon a place where quite frankly you don’t belong. Your visit is merely tolerated, and as far as I’m concerned that is as it should be.
Visiting Shoshone Country: Aug. & Sept. 2026
My 2026 Pacific Northwest and Southwest tours weren’t intended to be a history and cultural lesson on the Shoshone Nations, but they turned out to be just that. I kept finding myself on Shoshone traditional lands, and the more I saw, the more I learned.
From the 50 State Visitors Guide : Wyoming
Wyo. Stat. 2025 §§7-19-301 through 7-19-320
AWA Compliant
Registration Triggers and Deadlines:
Three business days
for initial registration and updates, including temporary trips and vacations.
“Temporary residence” includes hotels, motels, camping areas & parks. §7-19-301(xi)(C).
Visitors must register within 3 business days. §7-19-302(c)(iv).
Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:
Residence
restriction: Adults “who are
required to register … pursuant to §7-19-302” may not reside within 1,000 ft. from
schools. §6-2-320. Cannot reside within 1000 of a child care facility (WS §7‑19‑302; Act
#52 (2026)). Updated Aug. 2026.
Presence
restrictions: Adults “who are required to register …
pursuant to §7-19-302” may not enter school grounds if s/he “has
reason to believe children … are present and are involved in school activity or
when children are present within 30 minutes before or after scheduled school
activity” and may not “knowingly loiter
on a public way within 1,000 feet from the property line of school grounds.” Various exceptions apply. §6-2-320.
NOTE: Because §6-2-320 says these restrictions apply to adults “who
are required to register … pursuant to §7-19-302”, and visitors in state for less than three
business days are not required to register, such visitors would, in theory, not
be subject to these restrictions. However,
this theory remains untested.
Duration & updates:
Lifetime; petitions for removal available. §7-19-304. Updates: §7-19-302.
Wind River Shoshone & Arapaho Nations
I wasn’t paying much attention to reservations in 2023 but I was so impressed with Wind River Canyon, which is on this reservation, that I vowed to come back and see more. Now that I’m paying attention, I did return on the last leg of my 2026 Pacific Northwest road trip.
By the time I got here I had already met the Shoshone on my way through Idaho, at Craters of the Moon Nat. Monument and at Fort Hall Reservation, which I will describe below. I had found them to be an inward looking, private people who would like more than anything else to simply be left alone. I didn’t see as much tribal government or outward symbolism as I had seen at other nations.
The Shoshone share this reservation with the Arapahoe tribe. There is a separate town of Arapahoe that I did not visit this time. Sorry, and I promise to get to you next time.
One thing I look for when visiting native nations is a cultural center. At Fort Hall I didn’t find one, and at Wind River it was very difficult for my GPS to find. That’s because it turned out to be located INSIDE the tribal high school. Obviously, there was no way I was going in there! But my reaction was – Oh, how Shoshone of you. You don’t care whether I learn anything about Shoshone history and culture. The only important thing is to teach your own children. Okay, got it. I’ll bet that’s where the Fort Hall cultural center is too.
Wind River Canyon
The Wind River Shoshone appear to be uninterested in commercializing their lands. Their greatest natural wonder, Wind River Canyon, is a case in point. It really is a truly great canyon and you can drive right through it on US 20 between Shoshoni and Thermopolis, but you can’t leave the public right-of-way. The Shoshone are not offering canyon tours as other tribes do (see Grand Canyon West and Antelope Canyon).
On my 2023 drive through the canyon I happened to meet a geologist who was there making videos to use in his university classes. He couldn’t stop gushing about how important this canyon is, how its exposed rock layers show the geologic history of the region, etc. etc. And yet this canyon isn’t on anybody’s map, because the Shoshone don’t want it to be. They also don’t want a scenic train ride on the rail line through their canyon.
However … it turns out there are outfitters in the nearby pioneer & cowboy culture town of Riverton who can take you on rafting or kayaking trips down the Wind River – see photo. I’ll bet that would be really cool! But it’s only because the river itself is a public waterway and the Shoshone can’t stop you from floating down it.
Sacajawea
Cemetery
The Shoshone insist that Sacajawea, who was Shoshone, is buried among here among her own people at their traditional cemetery at Wind River. They resist saying exactly where she is, but they have placed a respectful monument near the rear of the cemetery and allow outsiders to visit.
The remainer of the cemetery is a truly magical place where the Shoshone honor their ancestors in their traditional way. It’s an active cemetery where recent graves had been dug on the day I was there. Local people were also coming and going, paying their respects to their ancestors in a way we anglos never do. Be sure to honor these traditions when you come here.
Chief
Washakie’s Monument
On your way to see Sacajawea you’ll probably drive past Chief Washakie’s Monument, which looks like a gravestone but isn’t. This monument describes Washakie as a great chief “noted for his friendship toward the white men.” But notice the small print at the bottom: “Erected by the Historical Landmark Commission of Wyoming, 1956.” So any assertion about Chief Washakie on this monument was not made by the Shoshone, but 90 years after the fact by outsiders.
Other
attractions in the Wind River region
National Museum of Military Vehicles – It’s not my cup of tea, but I realize that for many this will be a
top attraction. It’s big!
Fort Washakie Trading Post – If you’re going to shop for crafts and jewelry, why not do so at an
authentic but full-line reservation trading post, instead of one of the crappy
pioneer & cowboy culture shops in the anglo town of Riverton? Or at least in addition to?
Boysen State Park –
A park named after the person who built the dam for the reservoir the park
surrounds. Many recreational
opportunities.
Wyoming Dinosaur Center
– In case you didn’t know, Wyoming is major dinosaur country. This is the biggest dinosaur museum. Therefore it’s a must see.
Hot Springs State Park
– Unfortunately, due to some underground seismic alteration, the Hot Springs
have totally crapped (!) and the town of Thermopolis is left with an ugly mess!
Nearby pioneer & cowboy culture towns – Riverton and Lander. Pioneer Museum, Museum of the American West.
Nearby public lands within Shoshone influence – Red Canyon, Bridger-Teton Nat. Forest, where I camped the night before I visited Wind River; and Shoshone Nat. Forest. I say that if the US Government names a national forest after your tribe, you get preferential treatment.
Tribal theme fruit: Chokecherry (& Huckleberry)
The Ft. Washakie Trading Post includes displays for Chokecherry (& Huckleberry) jams, candy bars, taffies, pancake mixes and syrups. The Huckleberry products are the same brand as seem throughout the region, but labeled “Wyoming.” Only the Chokecherry products are authentically Shoshone. Maybe they should change that name, because the finished product tastes pretty good.
From the 50 State Visitors Guide : Idaho
Idaho Code 2025 §§18-8301 through 18-8414.
I.D.A.P.A. §11.10.03.000 through 11.10.03.012.
Registration Triggers and Deadlines:
Two working days for initial
registration and updates. Transient registrants must report location
every 7 days. §§18-8307, 18-8308.
Visitors: Statutes do not address registration requirements for
visitors. However, "Temporary
lodging" means any place in which the offender is staying when away from
his or her residence for seven (7) or more days. 18-8323 (1)(h).
“Residence” now includes any place a
person visits for longer than 5 hrs./visit more than 5 times in a 30 day period
(!) Updated Aug. 2026
Also, “any person who enters this state … & makes
an application for an identification card or a [drivers] license in this state”
is presumed to be establishing a residence. §18-8306(4). Sheriff will notify you of the 2 day obligation
to register (see above).
Temporary volunteers or employees: Must register if in state for
more than ten consecutive days, or for an aggregate period of 30 days in a
calendar year. If “employment involves counseling, coaching, teaching,
supervising or working with minors in any way,” must register “regardless of
the period of employment.” §18-8303(6).
Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:
May not reside or
loiter within 500 ft. of school or day care, and may not reside within
more than one person also required to register, with certain exceptions. §§18-8331,
18-8332. Updated Aug. 2026
Loitering restriction: Schools
and Day cares, unless picking up or dropping off one’s own children. §18-8327. Updated Aug. 2026
Duration & updates:
Lifetime. Petition to remove – 10 yrs. Sexually Violent Persons must update every 3
months. All others update annually. §18-8307.
Per Rolfe Survey, Visiting Registrants once placed on state’s registry ARE NOT REMOVED.
Fort Hall Shoshone & Bannock Nations
The Fort Hall Shoshone & Bannock Nations sit within the growing and prosperous region between Idaho Falls and Pocatello. The two off-reservation towns of Chubbuck and Blackfoot (home of the Idaho Potato Museum) appear to be doing well.
But all this commercial and residential growth and prosperity end at the reservation boundary. The Shoshone appear uninterested in participating. In fairness, as always the agriculture looks just as good as the surrounding region. But behind the casino on I-15, the tribal town of Fort Hall is typical reservation poverty. My notes say, “a few new streets with bike lanes don’t help anybody.”
Craters of the Moon National Monument
From the park brochure:
“The ancestral lands of the Shoshone peoples … include southern Idaho and encompass the vast lava fields of Craters of the Moon. Since time immemorial, the deep relationship between the people and the land has been central to Shoshone identity.” Say no more – I’m all in with the Shoshone. And I can only hope that Shoshone (& Bannock) tribal rights are being respected here if it’s right there in the brochure.
This was my third visit to Craters of the Moon. The first time was just before I went to prison, and now twice since I got off paper. It is so bizarrely beautiful I can never get enough.
Like Lava Beds National Monument only bigger (see Northern California),
it consists of vast lava beds (laid down only 2000 years ago) and twisted
formations. Like most national parks and
monuments, this one has an easy but spectacular nature trail called Devil’s
Orchard, and an otherworldly scenic park loop road with stops like Inferno Cone
and Big Sink Overlook. And if you really
want to hike into a lava wilderness and become completely disoriented, you can
do that too.
Craters of the Moon – Shoshone (& Bannock) ancestral lands that will blow you away.
From the 50 State Visitors Guide : California
Cal. Penal Code Effective July 1, 2021 §§290
through 294
Cal. Penal Code §§ 3003,
3003.5. Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code §
6608.5
Registration Triggers and Deadlines:
All registrants must
register within 5 working days of coming into the state. §290.011;
updates also within 5 working days. §§290(b), 290.013.
Those working in the state for 14 days or for more than 30 days in a
calendar year must register. §290.002.
Those who “regularly reside” at a temporary or permanent residence must
register “regardless of the number of days or nights spent here.” §290.010.
Transients must reregister
every 30 days. §290.011.
Residency/Presence and Other Restrictions:
Presence
restriction: Registrants
may not enter schools without permission.
§626.81. Parolees with convictions involving minors under 14
may not enter parks without permission. §3053.8.
May not enter daycare or place for
dependent adult if conviction involved dependent adult. §653c.
Residence
restriction: 2,000 ft. of
schools and parks. §3003.5(b). NOTE: this statute was declared
unconstitutional as applied to certain parolees by In re Taylor, 60 Cal. 4th 1019 (2015) and is only applied by the state to
parolees having Static 99 scores of 4 or more. However, local governments may enforce this
statute or local ordinances.
Few local
governments have more restrictive requirements, not because there is a state
pre-emption but because ACSOL aggressively sues & overturns them.
Duration & updates:
Lifetime. Petition
to remove: T1 – 10 yrs. T2 – 20 yrs. SVPs update every 90 days; all others
update annually. §290.012.
NOTE: Per ACSOL staff, procedure available for removal from registry after departure.
And most surprising of all – Death Valley National Park
I believe most regular americans will be as surprised as I was to realize how widespread the Shoshone peoples were – and still are – across the West. So far I’ve discussed Wyoming, Idaho, and now I’m throwing in southeastern California. That can only mean – and yes it does mean – that you also have to include all of Nevada and parts of Utah as Shoshone territory.
Here’s the sign that every visitor must pass when entering Death Valley National Park:
“Homeland of the Timbisha Shoshone.” Not ancestral lands. Not a place where we like to hang out sometimes. This sign raises the ante all the way up to – This is our land, so deal with it. It’s a reservation in all but name. And a huge reservation it is, too – as far as I can tell, second in size in the lower 48 states only to the Navajo Nation.
The story goes that all this land and much more was stolen from the Shoshone (& Paiutes) by mining companies so America could have Borax. But they didn’t even bother to kick the Shoshone (or the Paiutes) out of the way, they just left the little villages in place and pretended they didn’t exist. When the Borax boom went bust in the 1920’s, the land thieves at first built a nice hotel that still exists and tried to attract tourists. The Depression kinda sank that idea, so the “owners” “gave” the whole place to the US Government, even though it wasn’t theirs to give.
Meanwhile the Timbisha Shoshone didn’t go anywhere. Their villages are still there, although – and this is ssoooooo Shoshone of them – those villages are not shown on any official park map, nor on my Rand McNally map. Even within the tourist destination that Death Valley has finally become, the Shoshone just prefer to be left alone.
However, one of those villages near the Furnace Creek Visitors Center (where the hotel is) has taken the unusual step of letting outsiders know they exist. See photo:
In this photo you can see part of the Visitors Center Village in the background. What you can’t see is the name of the Timbisha village, because they don’t tell you. Building a cultural center meant for outsiders would certainly be another big step, but remember, these are the Shoshone – who knows what the word “soon” means.
Death
Valley Highlights
Zabriskie Point –
First glimpse of Death Valley from the east, but the most amazing thing is
everything else in this photo.
Death Valley as seen from Sea Level
Devil’s Golf Course
– Truly shocking to behold. They warn
you not to try going in there because it’s dangerously sharp and you’re
likely to slice yourself open. The whole
thing is made of salt, so wow that would sting!
Badwater Basin – The
bottom of the world.
Artists Palette – A
colorful outcrop in the desert.
Mosaic Canyon – Yes Death Valley has canyons and they’re pretty good but not as good as elsewhere.
Shoshone (& Paiute) towns in the region
Throughout this region there is a shared history of outsiders (first the Spanish and then the Americans) showing up, declaring they’re in charge, stealing the land and its resources, and all the while pretending the original people didn’t exist, even though the Shoshone (& Paiute) villages were there in plain site.
In the 20th Century, somewhat more enlightened leadership in the US government allowed many of these towns – or neighborhoods within the anglo towns that grew up around them – to apply for federal recognition and create their own mini-reservations.
That’s why, as I drove up US 395 on my way to Yosemite, there was a
Shoshone (and/or Paiute) mini-reservation in almost every town I passed through
– Lone Tree, Fort Independence, Big Pine, Bishop. Each has all the signs and symbols of every
reservation – tribal administration, schools (sometimes called “Unified
Schools” if shared with the whole town) and a Casino out on the main
highway. And this being California,
you’re more likely to find surrounding anglos honoring native heritage than
trying to compete with it with pioneer & cowboy culture monuments.
Bruce Hossfield, Atwo Zee Registered Traveler
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