Colorado
ModerateBackcountry Byway — Owl Creek Pass to Cimarron via the Uncompahgre High Basin
The San Juan pass the Skyway crowd misses.
Feature: Camping
USA
ModeratePaiute Trail — Fish Lake Plateau to Beaver via Tushar Mountains High Route
Utah's high-plateau backbone route.
Colorado
ModeratePhantom Canyon Road — Cañon City to Victor via the Shelf Road Spine and Eight Mile Creek Gorge
Railroad grade turned canyon shelf road.
USA
ModerateCoyote Gulch to Fortymile Ridge — Notom Road Desert Bench via Strike Valley Overlook
Capitol Reef's forgotten eastern bench.
California
ModerateNacimiento-Ferguson Road — Coast Range Divide to Highway 1 via Santa Lucia Wilderness Edge
Desert range to Big Sur coast in 24 miles.
California
ModerateLonesome Highway — Owens Peak Wilderness Desert Spine to Ridgecrest via Nine Mile Canyon Road
Granite ramps and desert floor — no crowds, no pavement.
New Mexico
ModerateSawmill Road to Cloudcroft High Country — Lincoln National Forest Sacramento Mountains Crest
Pine forest and limestone crest above the desert.
USA
DifficultCoyote Gulch to Fortymile Ridge — Grand Staircase-Escalante Desert Bench via Egypt Trailhead
Sand, clay, and canyon views with no easy out.
California
ModerateMojave Road — Needles to Fenner via Piute Valley and Lanfair Road
60 miles of Mojave history with nobody watching.
California
EasyCrowley Lake Road to Benton Crossing — Long Valley Caldera Desert Basin Traverse
Volcanic basin drive most Mammoth visitors never find.