Hey Cow Road Trip Game

If you’ve ever driven on a long road trip across certain areas of the country, there’s one site you’ve surely seen: cows. Herds of cows are so prevalent to the American landscape that there is no wonder there are plenty of fun road trip games based around those bovines. My favorite of those is Hey Cow! Read on if you’ve never heard of it… or maybe I should say HERD of it!

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book - Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip! By Valerie Bromann

Want more fun road trip games?

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book

Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation.

Salem Sue: The World's Largest Holstein Cow in New Salem, North Dakota | North Dakota Roadside Attractions
Salem Sue: The World’s Largest Holstein Cow in New Salem, North Dakota

Hey Cow! Game

The hey cow road trip game one may be a new one to you, but it is tons of fun! It’s the best game to play involving bovines (and a lot less painful to play than cow tipping).

Here’s the premise: Each time you see a pack of cows while driving down a country road, take turns. One person will roll down the the window and yell “Heeeeey Co-ow!” as loud as possible. Preferably loud enough so the cows can hear.

For every cow that turns around, you get one point! Whoever has the most points at the end of the road trip wins!

OK, so my cow game may sound a little ridiculous. And there is guaranteed to be some debate as you count up your points (“Did that cow really turn his head?” “You were driving too fast for me to add them all up!”). But it’s definitely a fun and silly game to play in the car! Try it on your next road trip through farmland and tell me how it goes!

Check out the instructions below and click the image to download the Hey Cow! instruction sheet.

Hey Cow! - Road Trip Car Games! Free downloadable sheets.

Hey Cow Game Rules

  1. Spot a herd of cows.
  2. Open the car window.
  3. One person yells, “Heeeey Cow!”
  4. That person receives one point for every cow that turns around and looks.
  5. Take turns with everyone in the car.
  6. At the end of the trip, the person with the most points wins!
Sissy the Cow in DeForest, Wisconsin - Giant Fiberglass cow - roadside attractions in Wisconsin
Sissy the Cow in DeForest, Wisconsin

Variations and Other Cow Road Trip Games

Hey Cow! isn’t the only cow game to play on a road trip! There are plenty of other variations on the theme Here are some of our favorite road trip games with cows.

Cows on My Side

If you’re driving across certain areas of the country, you’re going to see a lot of cows out your window. A lot of cows. Make spotting bovines a game by playing a friendly game of Cows on My Side. Game play for this one is easy. If you see cows out the window on your side of the car yell out, “cows on my side!” to get one point. If you see cows out the window on the other side of the car, yell out, “cows on your side!” before someone on that side does, to steal one point. When you pass a cemetery, be the first to yell out, “ghost cow!” to steal all the points.

My Cows

Similar to Cows on My Side, but with slightly different rules. For this version, every time you see a herd of cows, the first person to yell out, “my cows!” gets a point. If you see a church, the first to yell out, “marry my cows!” doubles their points. If you see a cemetery, the first to yell out, “bury your cows!” steals everyone’s points.

Counting Cows (AKA Cow Poker)

Pit the left side of the car against the right side of the car and count all the cows you can see from your side of the window. It can get tricky when you pass a large field, so count fast! Whoever has counted the most cows at the end of the journey wins, but watch for cemeteries, if someone calls out, “your cows are buried!” they can steal all the other side’s points.

Scottish Angus Cow & Calf - Giant Cows in Denver, Colorado roadside attraction
Scottish Angus Cow & Calf – Giant Cows in Denver, Colorado

More Road Trip Games

Looking for more fun road trip games to play in the car? Check out all of our free printable PDF downloads and instructions for road trip games you can play in the car.

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book - Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip! By Valerie Bromann

Want more fun road trip games?

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book

Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation.

Pin this road trip game to save for your next adventure

HEY COW! Try this game on your next road trip or long car ride: open the window, yell at some cows, and count how many turn around. Passenger with the most points wins!! Easy road trip games for adults, teens, couples, family and kids. 
#RoadTripGames #RoadTripGamesFOrAdults #RoadTripGamesForTeens #RoadTripGamesForKids #FamilyRoadTripGames #RoadTripGamesFOrCouples #PrintableRoadTripGames #CarRides #RoadTripGamesWithFriends #DIYRoadTripGames #RoadTripGamesApps
HEY COW! Try this game on your next road trip or long car ride: open the window, yell at some cows, and count how many turn around. Passenger with the most points wins!! Easy road trip games for adults, teens, couples, family and kids.

Valerie Bromann

Founder & ROad Trip Expert

Valerie Bromann is a a website manager, content creator, and writer from Chicago, Illinois (currently living in Dallas, Texas). As an avid road tripper who has visited hundreds of roadside attractions, Val always pull over for a world’s largest thing. Founder of Silly America and author of The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book, she visits, photographs, and writes about all the weird tourist destinations she visits and offers road trip planning advice and inspiration based on her own travels so you can hit the road for yourself.

World's Largest Mailbox in Casey, Illinois roadside attraction

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Last modified: March 11, 2023
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The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book - Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip! By Valerie Bromann

The Road Trip Journal & Activity Book

Everything You Need to Have and Record an Epic Road Trip!

BY Valerie Bromann

Enjoy fun games and challenges to pass the time on your next road trip and have a keepsake to look back on for years to come with this entertaining must-have for your next vacation.

The road trip you’ve been dreaming of starts here! Journal about your stops and get to know your fellow passengers with activities and exercises designed to pass the time and bring you closer together. Instead of “Are we there yet?” you’ll find yourself asking, “We’re there already?”. Complete with prompts you can turn to while driving between locations, this journal will one day be a memento of your life-changing trip.