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Some U.S. states are so vast they eclipse entire countries, and their landscapes change dramatically over days of driving. This gallery spotlights the ten largest by total area, pairing verified size with the kind of multi-week, multi-biome travel that truly earns a full-state itinerary. From Alaska’s Arctic coast to Wyoming’s geothermal basins, these routes feel nation-sized in scope and reward slow, immersive exploration.
Alaska
At 665,384 mi², Alaska is more than twice the size of Texas and larger than many nations, spanning Arctic coastlines, Pacific fjords, temperate rainforests, and North America’s tallest peak in Denali. Why it’s here: unmatched scale and park density. Drive the Parks Highway, ferry the Inside Passage, and fly into the Brooks Range, then realize you have only begun. Denali’s six-million acres alone justify days of wildlife and backcountry time.
Texas
Covering 268,596 mi², Texas feels like multiple countries stitched together: Chihuahuan Desert, Hill Country, Piney Woods, barrier islands, and Panhandle plains. Why it’s here: country-scale diversity across deserts, coasts, and high plains. Link Big Bend’s canyons with Gulf Coast marshes and cypress rivers on a long route. Distances turn road trips into true expeditions, layered with distinct cuisines and music traditions.
California
With 163,695 mi², California compresses Sierra granite, Mojave dunes, redwood rainforests, and roughly 840 miles of coastline into one state. Why it’s here: extreme relief and biome variety in a single loop. Pair Yosemite’s glacial walls, Death Valley’s below-sea-level basins, and Big Sur’s cliffs on a triangle that feels like multiple trips. High passes over 9,000 feet make seasonal planning part of the adventure.
Montana
Spanning 147,040 mi², Montana’s country-scale canvas bridges Glacier’s jagged skyline, the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem, and rolling shortgrass prairie. Why it’s here: continental wilderness at state scale. Two-lane highways measure routes in hours between river valleys and badlands. Dark-sky sanctuaries, wildlife corridors, and a Continental Divide spine make even simple drives feel like backcountry traverses.
New Mexico
At 121,590 mi², New Mexico is a high-desert expanse of volcanic calderas, gypsum dunes, sky-island ranges, and ancient pueblos. Why it’s here: high-desert breadth and cultural depth. Stitch White Sands’ glowing dunes to Valles Caldera and adobe towns for a route that changes altitude and light hour by hour. The mix of Indigenous heritage and frontier history rewards unhurried exploration.
Arizona
Arizona’s 113,990 mi² hold geologic time in the open: the Grand Canyon’s mile-deep chasm, Painted Desert badlands, saguaro-studded Sonoran valleys, and cool pine plateaus on the Mogollon Rim. Why it’s here: geologic spectacle across an expansive footprint. Travel north to south to watch biomes flip from cactus to conifers. Tribal parks, national monuments, and Route 66 towns add texture to every mile.
Nevada
Beyond neon, Nevada’s 110,572 mi² reveal a quiet immensity of basin and range peaks, playas, and ancient rock art in remote canyons. Why it’s here: basin and range backcountry that goes on for days. Great Basin country offers bristlecone groves and some of the darkest skies in the Lower 48. Long, lonely byways between hot springs, ghost towns, and desert valleys become meditative, multi-day epics.
Colorado
Colorado’s 104,094 mi² stack fourteeners, alpine basins, canyons, and high plains into a state-sized expedition. Why it’s here: linked mountain corridors and seasonal passes. The Continental Divide guides routes that shift from tundra to red-rock amphitheaters, while historic railways and mining towns tie regions together. Each quadrant merits its own trip, yet one grand circuit unifies them.
Oregon
With 98,379 mi², Oregon delivers marine headlands, Cascade volcanoes, old-growth rainforests, and sagebrush steppe in a single navigable loop. Why it’s here: dramatic transitions in one circuit. Connect Crater Lake’s caldera, Columbia Gorge waterfalls, and high-desert petroglyphs within hours, yet feel like crossing borders. Coast to desert swings reward shoulder-season pacing and scenic byways.
Wyoming
Wyoming’s 97,813 mi² center on Yellowstone and Grand Teton, yet the wider sage steppe, badlands, and Absaroka ranges add days to any itinerary. Why it’s here: park icons plus wide-open sage country. Wildlife often beats traffic at dawn, steam plumes mark geothermal basins, and wind-carved hoodoos define horizons. Link the parks with fossil country and wild rivers for a week that feels timeless.