When you think America, you think big, bold, brash and, dare we say it, spoiled. It’s New York with its cloud-tickling skyscrapers, it’s Los Angeles with its star-speckled pavements and Hollywood hills, it’s the Windy City of Chicago, the beating heart of politics that is Washington DC and the Florida beaches saturated with beautiful people who haven’t lost the ability to make roller-skating look cool.
What we’re saying is, despite how massive America is, there is barely an inch that hasn’t been touched by civilization. What we’re saying is, there’s nowhere in America you can run-off to and just escape it all – the people, the highways, the cities, the everything.
Or is there?
Now it may not seem like much at first, but 5% of America is part of the National Wilderness Preservation System. That’s 109 million acres. With that in mind, we’ve picked the most breathtaking parts of natural America, where man and woman are still considered to be visitors. So, if you are all about travelling in ultimate luxury, turn back now, otherwise, enjoy these hidden gems.
- The River Of No Return, Idaho
If you’re looking for pristine wilderness, then this is it and, what’s more, it’s slap bang in the centre of Idaho, which means you can get to it from almost anywhere. What’s there? Well, to sum it up, you have the world-famous whitewater Salmon River, a gorge that cuts into the earth deeper than the Grand Canyon, gorgeous mountains and 1.5 million acres of wilderness that have no formal trails whatsoever. Whether you’re looking for an adventure or silence, this place is special.
- Gila National Forest, New Mexico
This 550,000-acre space has an amazing claim to fame: it was the first place to ever be set aside as designated wilderness, and not just in the Southwest, or America, but in the world. What we love about it, is the fact it’s just four hours from Albuquerque, which means you can wake up in the Albuquerque Marriott, enjoy a lovely breakfast and then be surrounded by grassland foothills, juniper woodlands and mountain peaks by lunchtime. It really is pure wilderness too, with barely any human impact whatsoever. It is even home to some amazing but critically endangered species.
- Susquehannock State Forest, Pennsylvania
This place is known to be one of the most remote places along the East Mississippi, found in within the protected forests and rolling hills of central Pennsylvania. But that doesn’t do this place justice; it doesn’t explain just how remote it is. So, to try to put it into words, there is so little light pollution here that the Milky Way actually manages to cast a shadow across this part of the world. If this isn’t enough, though, and you want directions to the most remote part of this remote forest, then you need to head to the Hammersley Wild Area. It’s for those that want total escape and total adventure.
Of course, this is by no means a complete list and to give you the names of a few other places, you have the Everglades in Florida, the Olympic Wilderness in Washington and the Maine North Woods, all of which will make your dreams of an escape come true.
Disclaimer: This is a collaborative post.
the Red Phone Box travels 
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