USA
ModerateOnion Creek Road — Castle Valley to Fisher Towers via Colorado River Canyon Bench
Badland colors, creek crossings, and Fisher Tower views.
Difficulty: Moderate
Level 2
Oregon
ModerateRogue-Umpqua Divide Road — Diamond Lake to Lemolo Lake via High Cascades Backcountry
Volcanic divide, old-growth firs, zero crowds.
USA
ModerateCottonwood Canyon to Paria River Confluence — Skutumpah Road South Circuit
Clay road, slot canyons, and a truck stuck since 1954.
California
ModerateTruchas Peak Road — Santa Barbara Canyon to Pecos Wilderness Boundary
Ghost town at 8,375 feet — earn the dust.
Oregon
ModerateMazama Ridge Road — Crater Lake South Rim to Union Creek via Pumice Flats
Volcanic plateau solitude south of Crater Lake.
USA
ModerateChicken Creek Road — Fishlake National Forest Skyline Drive to Fish Lake Plateau
Utah high-country aspen plateau at 10,000 feet.
California
ModerateChimney Peak Backcountry Byway — El Paso Mountains to Cinder Cones
Mojave volcanic country nobody bothers to visit.
California
ModerateModoc Volcanic Scenic Byway — Lava Beds to Medicine Lake Highlands
Lava, obsidian, and no crowds. True Modoc country.
USA
ModerateHole-in-the-Rock Road — Grand Staircase to Dance Hall Rock and Beyond
Mormon pioneer grit through Utah's raw desert.
Oregon
ModeratePoker Jim Ridge Road — Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge High Desert Run
Pronghorn country at 7,000 feet — no crowds, no signal.