Which U.S. state is furthest west? I'm not giving any options for this travel trivia question…take a guess!
(Scroll down for the answer…)
So…which state is furthest west? Did you say California? Nope! Or maybe Washington? Nope again. Maybe your mind left the contiguous 48 states and wandered as far as Hawaii. If so, you didn't wander far enough. This state's mineral is gold, its fish is king salmon, and the state sport is dog-mushing. Yep, it's Alaska!
Did I throw you off with the photo of an Alaskan fireweed meadow? I hope so! (I purchased this photo by walterq from istockphoto.com.)
What's the furthest west you've traveled in the U.S.? Let us know in the comments below!
About Colleen Lanin
Except it depends a bit on what you mean by “furthest west.” Alaska has the single most western point but Hawaii has the western most geographic center.
Yes, I’m a huge geography geek.
If “west” continues beyond the International Dateline, the furthest West I’ve ever been is Chongqing, which is 7400 miles west of Phoenix, Arizona where I live. Chongqing is home to a wonderful zoo which houses dozens of giant pandas. The highlight of our visit to the Chongqing Zoo, however, was the giant pandas’ small cousin the red panda. Inside their large, treed enclosure we spotted a domestic cat surrounded by three threatening red pandas. Fearing for the poor cat we wondered how it could escape. The cat raised his back then pounced straight up a couple of feet in the air sending the red pandas scrambling for cover.
Tom (a.k.a. Dad) – I think once you reach China, you’re definitely in the East, not the West!
We loved Alaska when we cruised there – you should definitely visit! I guessed that Hawaii was the farthest west though – so I was wrong!