North Carolina
DifficultTrans-America Trail — Hector to Murphy via the Unicoi Mountain Divide
The TAT's Appalachian teeth — bring a winch.
Difficulty: Difficult
Level 3
Himachal Pradesh
DifficultManali–Leh Highway — Manali to Leh via Rohtang Pass, Baralacha La, and Tanglang La
Five passes. Four months. Zero margin for error.
India
DifficultZoji La to Drass — Kashmir Gateway High Pass via the Srinagar–Leh Corridor
The locked door between Kashmir and Ladakh.
Argentina
DifficultPaso Vergara to Puerto Ramírez — Carretera Austral Backcountry via Río Palena
Patagonia before the tourists find it.
China
DifficultSichuan–Tibet Highway — Litang to Daocheng via the Tibetan Plateau High Spine (G318/G227)
The high road to the last Shangri-La.
Mali
DifficultPiste du Bandiagara — Mopti to Sangha via the Dogon Escarpment Cliff Villages
Cliff villages and deep sand at the edge of the Sahel.
North Carolina
DifficultTrans-America Trail — Robbinsville to Tellico Plains via Cherohala Skyway Backdoor and Unicoi Mountains
Rocky Appalachian spine — no easy miles here.
Alaska
DifficultDalton Highway — Fairbanks to Deadhorse via the Brooks Range, Atigun Pass, and Arctic Tundra (South to North Full Run)
Arctic Ocean or bust — 414 miles of no mercy.
Argentina
DifficultPaso Pehuenche — Malargüe to Paso Pehuenche via the Andes Volcanic Divide
Cross the Andes where the crowds don't go.
Algeria
DifficultPiste de l’Hoggar — In Salah to Tamanrasset via the Saharan Heart
700 km of Sahara between you and the Hoggar.