Italy
ModeratePasso dello Stelvio — Bormio to Prato allo Stelvio via 48 Hairpins and the Italian Alpine Roof
48 hairpins. One of Europe's greatest roads.
Surface: Gravel
Romania
ModerateTransfăgărășan Highway — Curtea de Argeș to Bâlea Lac via the Southern Carpathian High Crossing
Ceaușescu's mountain madness, paved.
Alaska
ExpertTatshenshini–Alsek Wilderness Road — Haines to Dry Bay via Dalton Post and the Alsek River Corridor
Glacier valleys, grizzlies, and three borders.
Lesotho
ExpertLesotho Highlands Road — Thaba-Tseka to Katse Dam via the Maluti Mountain Plateau
Lesotho's brutal plateau road to a mega-dam.
Alaska
ModerateNena Creek to Skagway — Klondike Highway Backcountry via White Pass Summit
Gold Rush ghosts and an alpine border at 3,300 ft.
Colorado
ModerateColorado BDR North Segment — Walden to Steamboat Springs via Zirkel Wilderness Edge and Hahns Peak
North Park wide-open on the BDR's quiet end.
Argentina
DifficultPaso Vergara to Puerto Ramírez — Carretera Austral Backcountry via Río Palena
Patagonia before the tourists find it.
California
ModerateMojave Road — Government Holes to Piute Spring via Lanfair Valley and Fort Piute
An 1867 Army fort and a living spring, earned in sand.
China
DifficultSichuan–Tibet Highway — Litang to Daocheng via the Tibetan Plateau High Spine (G318/G227)
The high road to the last Shangri-La.
New Mexico
ModerateTurquoise Trail — Tijeras to Taos via the Sandia Mountains and High Road
Ghost towns, pueblo missions, and high desert light.