6. Red Desert Location: Southwestern Wyoming. History: The Red Desert is a high-altitude desert and is considered one of the last remaining undeveloped areas in the contiguous United States. Indigenous peoples, particularly the Shoshone and Ute, lived there for over 11,000 years. The Oregon, California, and Pony Express trails crossed the desert, and today, it is known for its migratory pronghorn herds and rich energy resources.
7. Painted Desert Location: Northern Arizona, within and around Petrified Forest National Park. History: Its vibrant, multicolored sedimentary layers are a result of volcanic activity and erosion over 200 million years. The area is rich in fossils and petrified wood from the late Triassic period. The Navajo and Hopi have long inhabited the area, and Spanish explorers first named it "El Desierto Pintado". 8. Kaʻū Desert Location: On the Big Island of Hawaii, part of Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. History: Unlike other American deserts, the Kaʻū is a volcanic desert, formed by lava remnants, volcanic ash, and acid rainfall from the Kīlauea volcano. It features fascinating geological formations and fossilized footprints left by ancient Hawaiians and visitors who crossed the area in centuries past.
9. Owyhee Desert Location: Northern Nevada, southwestern Idaho, and southeastern Oregon. History: The desert is a vast, remote area of canyons and sagebrush steppe. It is named for three Hawaiian fur trappers who disappeared in the area in the early 19th century. Native American tribes, including the Shoshone and Northern Paiute, inhabited the area for centuries. It remains a wild and largely undeveloped region. 10. Black Rock Desert Location: Northwestern Nevada.
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