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My vote would probably go to Northern Idaho, or possibly parts of Maine and Nevada. The southwestern corner of Oregon/northwestern corner of California is also very wild, as well as the Big Bend region of Texas.
Southwestern corner of Oregon/NW corner of CA is way off-base. Don't get me wrong, it's not a populated area, but have you ever been to Eastern Oregon, or huge chunks of Wyoming, Montana, the Dakotas, even Nevada? Those areas are far "wilder".
SW Oregon and NW CA have Crescent City, the Oregon Coast, Eureka and Medford nearby - it's really nowhere near being the wildest part of the lower 48.
South Florida swamps is one of the last places you want to be stuck in that is for sure. For being such a large urban area South Florida has its "wild" parts too.
The vast majority of land in South Florida is not developed and is just the way its been for thousands of years.
You have a tropical reef on once side, the ocean right there with all the wildlife that entails from the sharks and dolphins, fish and manatees and sea birds. 20 miles in you have the Everglades with the only place in the world where alligators and crocodiles live together. The Florida Panther and Black Bears, spiders, birds, snakes, deer, fish, turtles, and even a fairly large and growing population of Bald Eagles.
I can be in my backyard in the middle of the city of Miami there can be an Ibis by the pool, lizards everywhere, an iguana on the sea wall and parrots in the trees, with a snake in the garden and dolphins jumping in the bay. Miami is a very interesting mix of urban and wildlife and just 20miles out from downtown you are in the middle of one of the most interesting and diverse ecosystems in the world.
Well, every body of water has wildlife and all, but you can't count it as a "wilderness" or ocean & Great Lake states would all be more "wild" than western deserts/mountains, and we all know that's not true - in fact, it's generally the opposite.
In places I have traveled, east of El Paso Texas, towards Carlsbad Caverns in SE New Mexico, would be a strong candidate. Loving County Texas as a county has under 90 people, and one paved road. I would also offer up Northeastern Wyoming, south of Gillette towards Douglas. Southwestern North Dakota is another area I have driven through. Here it is 50 miles between gas stations, 100 miles between restaurants. Also, the St. Joe River Valley in Northern Idaho would capture another vote in places I have visited. Finally, the 12 county region of the Sandhills in Nebraska is as large as Massachusetts, with under 10,000 people total in the region.
When it comes to places I have not visited, I strongly suspect that central Nevada would also register as an incredibly isolated area. I believe the town of Eureka Nevada has the title for the most isolated place of significant population, and at that, I believe there are less than 1000 people there. You have to drive over 60 miles to reach another town that is even close to comparable size. Rt 50 is considered the Loneliest Road in America, but Rt 6 across Nevada in Google Street View looks just as isolated. Also, southeastern Oregon in Harney and Mahleur Counties have dormitories for their grade school students because it is too far away for the kids to go home at night. I believe the same condition applies in eastern Montana in Jordan, which is in Garfield County. This county is as big as two Rhode Islands and a Delaware, with a total population of 1,200 residents.
I would define 'wild' as areas with minimal to no human impact.
Areas that are heavily grazed by cattle are not wild, for example, even thought the human population in the area may be very small.
On the other side of the coin, there are places that over a large area have a relatively high human population, but much of the land in between is essentially left to nature. These areas are, relatively speaking, wild.
Central Idaho, the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness in addition to the thousands of acres of de facto wilderness that surrounds it, all comprising the largest roadless forested mountain area in the lower 48 and is the last intact forest ecosystem in the lower 48.
Idaho also has thousands of acres of other designated Wilderness areas spreading from the south to the north of the state and the most miles of whitewater rivers in the lower 48.
Salmon are spawned in Idaho, swim to the Pacific and then swim all the way back into the beautiful mountains of Idaho to die.
Gila National Forest, New Mexico (Visited 90's)
Supai, Arizona (Visited 70's)
Portions of the Everglades, Florida (Lived near/in 60's)
Gila Bend, Arizona area (Visited 80's)
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