Many people dream of escaping the busy, noisy world to find a truly wild place. We think of vast, empty lands, deep forests, and towering mountains where no human has ever built a road or a house. North America is huge, covering countries like Canada, the United States, and Mexico. It is famous for its incredible natural beauty, from the glaciers of Alaska to the deserts of the Southwest.
Because North America is so large, it has been home to many amazing wild places for thousands of years. But human history here is also long, and people have explored, built, and farmed almost everywhere. When we talk about “untouched” land, we mean a place that is exactly as nature made it, with no lasting mark from people. This raises a big question about what is left.
The simple idea of true wilderness, where absolutely no human influence can be felt, is difficult to find today. Even the air we breathe and the rain that falls carry small traces of human activity, like pollution or chemical changes. However, there are still massive, protected areas that feel utterly wild and provide that necessary sense of escape and solitude. But how exactly is “wilderness” defined when we look at these remaining places?
What Does “Untouched Wilderness” Actually Mean to Conservationists?
For conservation experts and governments, the term “wilderness” has a very specific, legal meaning, especially in the United States and Canada. In the US, the 1964 Wilderness Act defined it as an area “where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain.” In simpler terms, it must be undeveloped federal land, free of roads and permanent structures, and preserved to keep its natural condition. This definition is not about being literally untouched by all human history, which is almost impossible now. Instead, it’s about protection from modern industrial activity and allowing natural processes, like wildfires or animal migration, to continue without human interference. This legal framework is what saves huge areas from logging, mining, or road construction, ensuring they remain wild in character, even if they have been visited by people for centuries.
Where Are North America’s Largest Remaining Wild Spaces Located?
The largest expanses of what we would call “deep wilderness” are overwhelmingly found in the North. Alaska and Northern Canada hold the continent’s most immense and unbroken wildlands. Alaska’s Wrangell Saint Elias National Park and Preserve is a great example. It is the largest national park in the United States, bigger than the country of Switzerland, and most of it is designated wilderness. Up here, you find towering mountain ranges, vast glaciers, and enormous tracts of boreal forest where the nearest road or town can be hundreds of miles away. Similarly, much of Canada’s Yukon and Northwest Territories consist of millions of acres of truly remote, roadless land. These are places where you can travel for days, or even weeks, without seeing another human being or any sign of a permanent human presence. The cold climate and rugged terrain have historically kept large-scale development away, turning them into the last great ecological strongholds.
How Does Alaska’s Wilderness Compare to the Lower 48 States?
The scale of Alaskan wilderness is simply different from the protected lands in the lower 48 American states. Alaska alone contains over half of the entire US National Wilderness Preservation System. Areas like the Gates of the Arctic National Park are so vast and remote that they have no roads, no visitor centers, and are mostly accessed by bush plane or long, difficult hiking. In contrast, the largest protected areas in the lower 48 are massive, but they are often surrounded or influenced by human settlements. For example, Idaho’s Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness is the largest in the contiguous US, at over 2.3 million acres. While incredibly rugged and wild, its size is still only about a quarter of Wrangell-St. Elias. The wilderness areas in the lower 48 are precious islands of wildness, but Alaska is more like an entire wild continent, offering a depth of solitude that is much harder to find further south.
Can You Find True Solitude in a Crowded National Park?
It is entirely possible to find deep solitude even within the boundaries of popular National Parks, but it requires effort and planning. Iconic parks like Yosemite, Grand Canyon, or Banff attract millions of visitors, meaning the main viewpoints, parking lots, and famous trails are often very crowded. However, the vast majority of a national park’s land is actually designated as “backcountry” or “wilderness,” which is only accessible by hiking on foot or horseback. In many parks, just a few miles from the nearest road, you can quickly leave the crowds behind. For instance, in Olympic National Park in Washington, you can hike into the Hoh Rainforest or high into the mountains, and after just half a day, you will find a silence and isolation that feels completely wild, with only elk, bears, and other animals for company. The key is to get off the well-known routes and be prepared for a multi-day trip into the deep interior.
What Areas Are Protected for Their Aquatic or Marine Wilderness?
Wilderness protection is not just for land; it is also extremely important for preserving aquatic environments. North America is home to incredible areas of marine and freshwater wilderness. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota is one of the continent’s most famous examples of water-based wilderness. This area of over a million acres of interconnected lakes and forests has no motorboats or roads and is explored entirely by canoe or kayak. It offers a unique experience of paddling through a wild, unpolluted water system, often without seeing another soul. In the oceans, large National Marine Sanctuaries and protected coastal wilderness areas, such as the remote islands of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska, protect critical marine habitats. These areas keep human fishing, drilling, and commercial traffic to a minimum, ensuring that whales, seals, fish, and other aquatic life can thrive as they have for millennia.
Are There Any Major Wildlands Left in Eastern North America?
While the West is famous for its wide open spaces, Eastern North America still holds significant and vital wildlands, though they are generally smaller and more heavily managed. A premier example is the Adirondack Park in New York State. This massive park is not a single government-owned area but a patchwork of public and private land, with a core area constitutionally protected as “forever wild.” It is larger than Yellowstone, and its mountains, forests, and lakes offer a true sense of remoteness. Further south, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the various designated wilderness areas along the Appalachian Trail offer rugged, dense forest landscapes that are a different kind of wild. These areas are vital because they are close to major population centers, providing millions of people with the chance to experience deep nature. They may not be free from all historical human impact, but they are now preserved to look and function as wilderness.
How Do Indigenous Lands and Territories Contribute to Wilderness Preservation?
The concept of “wilderness” must acknowledge that Indigenous peoples have inhabited and shaped North America’s landscape for thousands of years. Many of the most remote and protected areas overlap with ancestral homelands and current territories. In Canada, many vast areas are managed through co-governance agreements with First Nations communities. For example, the Vuntut Gwitchin First Nation in Yukon manages its traditional territory in a way that prioritizes the health of the land and the wildlife, particularly the Porcupine Caribou herd. In the US, Tribal lands often maintain a level of intactness that rivals federal wilderness areas. The traditional knowledge and land management practices of these communities are crucial to modern conservation efforts. They ensure that these lands remain ecologically intact, demonstrating that people can live within, rather than separate from, a truly wild landscape.
Ultimately, while the idea of a place totally free of human influence might be a dream of the past, North America is home to massive, legally protected, and genuinely remote areas. They offer the necessary experience of wildness, solitude, and connection to the natural world that so many of us seek. These vast, protected spaces are not just scenic spots; they are critical parts of our planet’s life support system.
What will it take for us to ensure that these last great wildernesses remain wild and intact for the next hundred years?
FAQs – People Also Ask
What is the most remote place in the contiguous United States?
The most remote location in the contiguous United States is often cited as a point in the Yellowstone National Park area, specifically a spot called Hawks Rest in Wyoming. This location is approximately 32 miles from the nearest road, making it the hardest place to reach in the Lower 48 states. It sits in a vast, roadless area of the Yellowstone ecosystem, surrounded by several designated wilderness areas, and requires multiple days of difficult travel by foot or horse to reach.
Is the Canadian North still mostly wilderness?
Yes, a very large portion of Northern Canada, particularly the territories of Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut, remains vast, relatively untouched wilderness. Much of this land is covered by boreal forest, tundra, and ice fields, with very low population density and few roads. These areas contain some of the world’s largest intact ecosystems, critical for global biodiversity and climate health, and are a core part of the planet’s remaining wild lands.
What is the difference between a National Park and a Wilderness Area?
A National Park is a broad designation that allows for various activities, including roads, visitor centers, hotels, and tourist access. A Wilderness Area, however, is a specific designation within a National Park or National Forest (or other federal lands). Land designated as Wilderness is protected from permanent human improvements, roads, and mechanized vehicles, meaning it must be experienced by non-motorized travel like hiking or canoeing. Wilderness designation provides the highest level of legal protection to keep the land wild.
What is the biggest threat to North American wilderness today?
The biggest threat to North American wilderness is not typically outright destruction, but the cumulative effects of surrounding development and climate change. Resource extraction, such as oil and gas drilling or mining, often pressures the borders of protected areas, while the creation of small, unconnected roads fragments habitats, making it harder for animals to migrate. The rising global temperatures caused by climate change also dramatically impact northern and high-altitude wilderness, leading to changes in forest cover and wildlife distribution.
Are there any rainforests protected as wilderness in North America?
Yes, North America has important temperate rainforests, and large parts of them are protected as wilderness. The best example is the Olympic Wilderness within Olympic National Park in Washington State, which includes vast sections of the famous moss-draped temperate rainforests like the Hoh and the Quinault. In Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, large tracts of the Tongass National Forest and the Great Bear Rainforest are also managed to protect these vital, ancient ecosystems, which are defined by their incredibly dense, wet, and biodiverse conditions.
How can visitors make sure they protect the wilderness they visit?
Visitors can protect the wilderness they visit by strictly following the Leave No Trace principles. This means planning ahead and preparing for their trip, traveling and camping on durable surfaces like established trails and campsites, properly disposing of waste (packing out all trash, including food scraps), leaving what they find (not taking souvenirs or disturbing historical sites), minimizing campfire impacts, respecting wildlife, and being considerate of other visitors. These simple steps ensure the land remains wild and clean for the next person.
Is the desert a form of wilderness in North America?
Yes, vast areas of North American desert are protected as critical wilderness. Deserts like the Mojave, Sonoran, and Chihuahuan have massive protected sections, often designated as Wilderness Areas or National Monuments. These landscapes, though seemingly barren, are actually rich in specialized plant and animal life that is easily damaged by human activity. Their sheer size and ruggedness provide a profound sense of solitude and natural freedom, qualifying them as a form of unique and important ecological wilderness.
What is an important example of a river-based wilderness area?
The Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho is an important example of a river-based wilderness. It is named after the Middle Fork of the Salmon River, which cuts through the rugged landscape. Within this protected area, the rivers are allowed to flow freely without dams, and access is tightly controlled to prevent overuse. Visitors experience this wilderness primarily through challenging whitewater rafting or by hiking along the river canyons, connecting them directly with a powerful, untamed water system.
How much of North America is legally protected as wilderness?
The amount of land legally protected as wilderness in North America is significant but varies by country. In the United States, over 111 million acres are designated under the National Wilderness Preservation System. Canada has an even greater land mass, with large areas like its National Parks and provincial protected lands managed for wildness, though the exact legal term “wilderness area” may differ. The most important thing is that tens of millions of acres across the continent are intentionally managed to remain permanently wild and undeveloped.
Are all wilderness areas completely free of human history?
No, no wilderness area is completely free of human history. For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples have managed and used these lands for hunting, gathering, and spiritual practices, often leaving little lasting trace. Modern conservationists have learned that the concept of a “pristine” place empty of people is a myth. Instead, today’s wilderness areas are protected to preserve the ecological processes and to keep them free from modern industrial development, while respectfully acknowledging and sometimes incorporating the history and ongoing relationship of Indigenous communities with the land.
