Nevada: Largest Desert State in the U.S.

Nevada contains the largest desert area in the United States. The Great Basin Desert—the largest desert entirely within the contiguous U.S.—covers most of Nevada plus portions of Oregon, Idaho, and Utah.

Great Basin Desert Characteristics

• Area: ~492,000 km² (190,000 mi²)
• Type: Cold winter desert (unlike hot Mojave/Sonoran)
• Elevation: 1,200-3,000m basins between north-south mountain ranges
• Climate: Hot summers, cold winters, 150-300mm annual precipitation
• Vegetation: Sagebrush, saltbush, juniper-pinyon woodlands at elevation

Other Nevada Deserts

Nevada also includes portions of the Mojave Desert (southern tip, including Las Vegas area) and transition zones to the Sonoran Desert. This makes Nevada the most desert-dominated state by land area percentage.

California has larger total desert area (Mojave + Colorado/Sonoran) but Nevada has the highest proportion of desert land.