Definitions of “large“ can vary. What is the maximum mature height and width you are looking for?

What zone and area are you in?

Will the tree be in shade or are you looking for a tree to shade something specific?

Any critter issues - deer, rabbits, etc.?

Any photos of yard you can share?

I'm thinking 60-100' tall range with a proportional width?

Z6, dry site with acidic soil and good drainage, full sun, larger property in need of a deciduous shade tree. The landscape is pretty much a blank canvas and in need of shade and a striking presence. Seems most trees are prone to some disease, but the less problematic the better. Also deer and windstorm resistant. Thank you.

Willow Oak,

Planted as a very thin sprout in 2001. Very large now. Beautiful.

White oak is my favorite if it grows in your area.

Crimson king maple

Crimson King is a Norway maple. Norway maples are invasive.

I like tulip trees. They are just gorgeous.

White oak or a tulip tree (as suggested) or a red oak are all favorites of mine. Until a few years ago I would have suggested an American beech as the bark on a mature tree is beautiful. But unfortunately the leaf miners have decimated them requiring removal.

The tulip tree will drop spent flowers for a short period of time. The oak acorns on the ground do attract deer daily in my location as they are an important fall/winter food source. Smaller caliper trees may need trunk protection from deer antler rubbing until larger.

I have all three on my property and they have been relatively problem free. I wouldn’t site them too close to a house or other structure.

Katsura, Cercidiphyllum japonicum. In my area, this grows 50-75' feet tall, possibly larger, and with a pleasing gumdrop shape. The foliage is attractive all season, going through a series of color changes before turning gold, orange and red in autumn. When they fall, they release a hormone that produces a sweet scent reminiscent of cotton candy. It is known to be virtually trouble-free and not attractive to deer or rabbits.

I would suggest a beautiful Virginia Oak if it grows where you live.
The tulip trees I had, while beautiful became very high maintenance. Because they grow rapidly, their wood is a bit brittle and they are very prone to storm damage as they get large. We had to have large cables installed to brace and support some of the boughs, and eventually had damage despite all of our efforts and had to give up and ultimately take 2 beautiful 130 year old trees down. It was very sad.

An Oak that is native to your area. Oaks are keystone species and my favorite trees. We have a huge Willow Oak (native here) in our front yard and I love it dearly. We have lost many oaks in the 30 years we have been here. White Oaks here are dying from Oak Decline. Heartbreaking.

Cottonwood

cyn427, that makes sense, and I'm super bummed as I love them and there are no native oak trees because of our dry cold winters. Thank you for pointing that out.

L Clark, I like how sculptural Cottonwoods are. I can understand why its your favorite.

Cottonwood might not be recommended for a lot of reasons, but i love them!

Lots of big, beautiful shade trees to choose from -- hard to pick just one that I love, I love so many!

On my property, my tulip tree is fabulous. It's quite tall, proportionately narrow. There's sugar maples, of course. And oaks! I also have a gorgeous horse chestnut and a few river birch. White pine for an evergreen.

The problem is if you want big and beautiful quickly, you have to a pick a tree that is a fast grower. Oaks are not fast, although you can buy pretty decent-sized ones to plant. Maples are medium-fast, and again you can get a nice one right out of the gate. The horse chestnut won't get to 50' tall until I'm six feet under for about 50 years... Tulip trees grow at a decent pace but not super-fast. Birch tend to grow fast. Don't plant willows close to the house or in a highly trafficed area. Ask anyone who has had a willow close to the house and they will tell you why. They are messy, messy, MESSY trees and break easily - as in any time it's windy.

In my area of Missouri z6A, I choose either oak or maple. Oaks have the best large presence, IMO.

What do you plan to do with the area UNDER the tree? If lawn, some trees have roots that make it difficult to grow a lawn, or to have a shade garden. Something to think about as you narrow down choices. Also if you could tell us at least what state you're in that would help with appropriate choices.

gcpda, what is your approximate location (nearest big city for instance)? Cold is not often an issue for many oaks which are frequently hardy to Zone 4 and even a few in Zone 3. There is nothing like a large shade tree, so best of luck. I am sure you will find one perfect for you!

Yellow buckeye has always seemed like a semi unusual top notch tree . If I lived in the east or midwest i would grow one

L Clark, at one time the similar European horsechestnuts were not uncommon to see in large yards & parks. There was one in my childhood front yard.-- very dark underneath the big, dark green leaves. Alas, I know of only two anymore that I see on my usual routes.

Yellow buckeyes were not uncommon in the southwest VA mountain areas -- one of the first trees to leaf out in mid-spring w/new leaves unaffected by frost.

My Willow Oak is zone 5-9 and is the fastest growing oak. Very sturdy and has held up to very strong winds. It turns yellow in the fall.

Oh my gosh, you're all giving me lots to think about. I have to make a decision before summer's end so I can plant beginning of fall. Your suggestions are so helpful.

I have a couple Douglas Firs in the front yard, but my backyard is full sun, arid climate in north Idaho Z6b. The purpose of wanting a shade tree is I'd like to create a shade garden. Of course I could plant more conifers, but they're aren't any deciduous shade trees at all.

I will only have mulch under the tree - no lawn. As I research and look into your suggestions, I've figured out I like sturdy horizontal branching or architectural trees, and of course, I want it to grow fast(er) without having brittle wood, which is often the case. The London Planetree appeals to me, but I'm not positive I've seen one here either. I probably should ask the nurseries in my area if they get them.

I love your suggestions and looking into all of them. Thank you all!

If you have deer you will have to protect the trunk of any sapling from rubbing even if it is one they dont eat.

"If you have deer you will have to protect the trunk of any sapling from rubbing even if it is one they dont eat."

^^ Good reminder. This is a must.

The oak genus (Quercus) is huge and they are not all slow growers. As Sherry8aNorthAL comments, willow oak is quite fast, as are others in the "red" group (pointed lobes on leaves, generally). I've seen Quercus rubra grow over 6 feet per year, but that one is probably over-planted / over-abundant.

I have a silver-leaf oak (Quercus hypoleucoides - z7) that has grown over 3 feet each of the last two years.

A sugar maple is a beautiful shade tree that is unsurpased for colorful fall foliage, is a clean trouble free tree that will outlive you and has a beautiful habit. I would advise against anything that claims to be fast growing as these types of trees have many problems as time goes by. Avoid anything that contains the name willow as they quickly become invasive, weak and high maintenance. Oaks (willow oaks are very different from traditional oak) can be beautiful but they drop their leaves slowly and you will spend three months raking them up and the leaves do not break down readily. Make sure you investigate the pros and cons of any tree you are considering.

There's a whole lot of wonderful large shade trees out there. But they are not equally suitable to all locations. Do some research - how fast does it grow, is it messy, prone to diseases or insects, can you find one of reasonable size nearby and for a reasonable cost? And look for something with a bit of character or distinctiveness. You don't necessarily want the same as everyone else in the neighborhood.

Speaking earlier of European horsechestnuts, here's one being given a helping hand in Devon, England.

horse chestnuts are the best. I remember watching the sound of music and thinking ”what are those neat looking trees?!”. recently, my wife made me watch ’Emma’, the 2020 film, and holy cow, look at the horse chestnut that the dude proposes to Emma by

Horse chestnuts are indeed glorious but they tend to get brown crispy leaves quite early and they do not colour in autumn. There are hundreds round here.

Has anyone said Linden yet?

They're flowering now and smell wonderful. This one's in a local park.

Hard to beat your native tulip tree. Another one in a local park.

Copper beech. Would that grow for you?

Red horse chestnut.

gardengal made a very good point: "There's a whole lot of wonderful large shade trees out there. But they are not equally suitable to all locations".

Exactly. Keep in mind that the OP is dealing with these conditions: "dry site with acidic soil and good drainage, full sun ... dry cold winters ... north Idaho Z6b", which is a relatively harsh climate compared to much of the eastern US (or the UK). So some of the shade trees that have been suggested above (Willow Oak, Tuliptree, Katsura, Red Horsechestnut) are unlikely to be very happy there.

Idaho's Registry of Champion Big Trees can give you an idea of the kinds of shade trees that grow to the largest sizes in the state. Some of the deciduous trees with the highest point totals include: Silver Maple, Catalpa, Black Walnut, London Planetree, Cottonwood, Bur Oak, Golden Weeping Willow, and American Elm. Most of the higher point totals are actually conifers.

Arbordave, thank you for the registry. Did not know about it and that'll be a good reference.

Both you and gardengal make very good points. That said, I probably should of asked my original question based on my conditions so I understand that some are simply answering my initial question what their favorite shade tree is.

bengz6westmd, how spendid is that pic! Love it!

In regards to the horsechestnut tree, it's lovely and they do well here, but my year round allergies would go nuts with the pollen they produce. Never thought of Linden trees and they do well here. Hmmm, def a maybe. Sugar maples do well here and they're beautiful!

I have been researching and decided I would rather go for slower growing with a strong structure than a fast growing with brittle wood/branch failure. With our wind storms that leaves out silver maple, cottonwood, american elm, sycamore, and weeping willow.

The nursery had a bunch of london planetrees (bloodgood), and apparently with all the pros of the american sycamore but a stronger species with few problems. I do like black walnut trees but wouldn't be able to grow anything close to it. The copper beech is yet another tree I'm gonna look into.

Again, thank you all. I have more trees to look into.

@gcpda: European horsechestnuts (and American buckeyes) have insect-pollinated flowers, so should not have any significant airborne pollen.

Good point. Unlike London Plane which is notorious for allergies.