India
DifficultLeh to Tso Moriri — Korzok High Altitude Desert Crossing via Puga Valley Hot Springs
4,500m. No guardrails. One sacred lake.
Surface: Mixed
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.
Idaho
DifficultIdaho BDR Northern Segment — Coeur d’Alene to Lowell via the St. Joe River and Selway Corridor
St. Joe River to Selway — Idaho at its most honest.
Agadez Region
ExpertPiste de l’Aïr Nord — Agadez to Iférouane via the Northern Aïr Massif Volcanic Corridor
Ancient caravan country. No tarmac, no backup plan.
USA
DifficultUtah BDR Central Segment — Salina to Hanksville via the San Rafael Swell and Factory Butte
Canyon country, a river ford, and alien badlands.
Algeria
DifficultPiste de l’Atakor Nord — Tamanrasset to Assekrem via the Northern Hoggar Plateau Approach
A dead volcano, a hermit's chapel, and the whole Sahara below.
Algeria
ExpertPiste de l’Assekrem Sud — Tamanrasset to Assekrem via the Atakor Plateau Southern Approach
Volcanic moonscape. Sahara's highest hermitage. No shortcuts.
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.