The U.S. has millions of acres of protected public lands. These are among the most beautiful — and isolated.
Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex
Heath Korvola/Getty Images
True escape from city life doesn't have to mean a trip outside the U.S. Inside America's borders are some of the most remote, pristine spots on the planet.
The U.S. has more than 100 million acres of the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS), public lands that — since the 1964 passage of the Wilderness Act--are protected from human influence and disruption. For the outdoorsy traveler looking for remoteness, solitude and a sense of nature, Wilderness areas offer all these things in abundance.
To highlight some of America's best wilderness areas, we generated a list based on two criteria: The wilderness areas had to be either the most sizable, acreage-wise, in their given region, or they had to offer something truly unique unto themselves.
