Public Welcome Always
October 10-12, 2025
Friday 7 pm
Saturday 1 pm & 7 pm
Sunday 1 pm
Admission
1-day pass $8.00
3-day pass $12.00
Free Parking
Directions
From Las Vegas:
North US 95 to Exit 99,
left on Paiute Dr. across bridge for a mile
From the North:
South US 95 to Exit 99, right on Paiute Dr. for a mile
Over the weekend, my wife and I went to the 33rd annual Snow Mountain Paiute Pow Wow just North of Las Vegas off US 95.
The Snow Mountain Pow Wow is on the way to Mt. Charleston. It’s an easy drive, no traffic, very convenient.
When you turn off the highway at Exit 99, take a left on to Paiute Drive over the bridge and you enter the Snow Mountain Reservation.
Don’t let the dirt road fool you, it’s graded. The pow wow grounds are a mile up with a dozen white vender tents dotting the horizon like an Arabian bazaar – parking on the left – Pow wow on the right.
Everybody we met was very nice. It was a sunny day but temperatures were mild. Still, it’s the desert – sunglasses, sunblock and sombrero – no doubt.
The Paiute Pow wow provides some grandstand seating, but there’s plenty of room for foldout chairs, picnics and children gone wild. It’s a big place, well manicured, great setting, family oriented.
Before the proceedings started, MC Bart Powaukee got the crowd humming with the Wild Burro Call competition.
A member of the drum crew takes his shot at fame grabbing the mic for his best wild burro rendition – a mating call I believe – hard to tell – I’m not really up on burro.
A closeup of MC Bart Powaukee using his arm as an applause meter to rate the three burro call finalists – they all sounded like burros – okay, so maybe I’m being an ass.
The Grand Entry starts with the honorary leader (seen above) followed by the Native American Veterans’ Honor Guard.
In Native American society, a powwow is a “gathering of the tribes.”
The formal start to the Pow wow is the Grand Entry leading the assembled into the circle.
The Pow wow circle represents unity, community and spiritual heritage.
The gallery above shows the sights and sounds of the Grand Entry where prayers are spoken and speeches made before resuming the cyclical walk and encouraging guests to join.
The Paiute Pow wow is about goodwill. It’s where friends reunite.
Children can be themselves.
It was an honor to see so many Native American princesses representing their many communities.
It was the first time I’d been to the Paiute Pow Wow and it was impressive.
Some Pow wows can be sparse in attendance. But in this case, not true.
There was an overwhelming response from the Native American community to the Snow Mountain Paiute Pow Wow. It had all the bells and whistles. I would estimate as many as 300 performers.
Entrants came from as far away as Northern Nevada, Southern Arizona, Southern California and British Colombia, Canada.
There were at least six drum crews with four-to-six men to a drum – think about it – that’s a lot of drums.
Substantial cash prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each age category and drum crews.
Clearly, there was a lot on the line…
…cash…
…honor…
…prestige…
…bragging rights…
…competition was fierce…
…and nobody was taking it lightly.
Grand Entry Starts at 1 pm Sat. & Sun.
Public Always Welcome
Free Parking
Thanks for visiting. 😊
Be sure to check out the website.