Centennial Valley Road

This high-country ranch road cuts a rough line through the Centennial Valley, connecting the Colorado Rockies to Wyoming’s Medicine Bow Mountains at elevations that’ll leave flatlanders gasping. Starting near the Colorado border, the route follows working ranch roads and forest service tracks through aspen groves and alpine meadows, crossing Douglas Creek multiple times before climbing over 10,000 feet through country that looks more like Montana than southern Wyoming.

It’s technical enough to require 4WD with skid plates and decent ground clearance, especially during the multiple creek crossings that can run deep during snowmelt. The 38-mile route is only passable July through September — snow closes it hard the rest of the year. No permits, but respect private ranch gates and cattle. Dispersed camping is allowed on forest service land, and you’ll find world-class fishing in the high-country lakes. This is legitimate wilderness with weather that changes fast and zero cell service.