Colorado
ExpertBlack Bear Pass Road — Telluride to Silverton via the San Juan High Alpine Shelf
One-way. One lane. Straight down into Telluride.
Surface: Dirt
India
DifficultLeh to Tso Moriri — Korzok High Altitude Desert Crossing via Puga Valley Hot Springs
4,500m. No guardrails. One sacred lake.
USA
ModerateTrans-America Trail — Clifton Forge to Lewisburg via the Allegheny Highland Divide
Appalachian ridgelines, zero traffic, real dirt.
India
DifficultLeh to Khardung La and Nubra Valley — Northern Ladakh High Desert via Khardung Village
5,359 metres. Camels below. Glaciers above.
USA
DifficultUtah BDR Central Segment — Salina to Hanksville via the San Rafael Swell and Factory Butte
Canyon country, a river ford, and alien badlands.
Alaska
DifficultCrow Pass Trail Road — Girdwood to Eagle River via the Chugach Mountain High Route
Glaciers, a ghost mine, and a river that'll soak you.
Tennessee
ModerateTrans-America Trail — Tellico Plains to Hector via the Cherokee National Forest and Unicoi Mountains
River crossings, ridge views, and no cell signal.
China
DifficultSichuan–Tibet Highway — Chengdu to Lhasa via the G318 High Altitude Corridor
The highest overland highway on the planet.
Arizona
DifficultTrans-America Trail — Clifton to Alpine via the Mogollon Rim and Blue River Canyon
Blue River canyons, copper ghosts, Mogollon edge.
Colorado
ModerateColorado BDR Central Segment — Gunnison to Salida via Cochetopa Hills and Marshall Pass
Old railbed, aspen groves, and 10,800-foot silence.