Great Basin Desert

Great Basin Desert, the largest U.S. desert (492,000 km²), spans Nevada, Utah, and adjacent states with high-altitude sagebrush plains and isolated mountain "sky islands." Its cold desert climate brings snowy winters and scorching summers, with rainfall below 30 cm/year. Home to ancient bristlecone pines (Earth’s oldest trees) and elusive wildlife like pronghorns, it’s a land of extremes. The stark beauty of places like Great Basin National Park reveals a fragile ecosystem shaped by isolation and aridity.