Kyrgyzstan
DifficultTian Shan Mountain Road — Bishkek to Song-Kul Lake via Kochkor and Moldo-Ashuu Pass
Nomad country at 3,000 metres. Earn every view.
Surface: Mixed
Australia
ModerateBungle Bungle Range 4WD Track — Purnululu National Park Entry Road via Spring Creek Track
Beehive domes at the end of a brutal dirt road.
California
ModerateMojave Road — Afton Canyon to Government Holes via Soda Mountains
Old wagon ruts through the Mojave's brutal heart.
Afghanistan
ExtremeWakhan Corridor Road — Faizabad to Ishkashim via Kokcha River
Alexander walked it. Almost no one drives it.
Northern Cape
ExpertRichtersveld Helskloof Pass to Sendelingsdrift — Orange River Desert Canyon Traverse
Hell's Gorge. No shade. No mercy. No cell signal.
Alaska
DifficultDalton Highway — Fairbanks to Deadhorse via the Brooks Range and Arctic Tundra
414 miles to the top of North America.
Mongolia
ExpertTrans-Mongolian Steppe Route — Ulaanbaatar to Khövsgöl Lake via Tariat and the Orkhon Valley
No roads. No signs. Just 1,000 km of steppe.
Australia
DifficultGibb River Road Alternative — Kalumburu Road to Mitchell Falls via Drysdale River Station
Dead-end Kimberley dirt to Australia's best falls.
KwaZulu-Natal
ExpertLesotho Highlands Traverse — Sani Pass to Mokhotlong via Senqu River Valley
Roof of Africa — where tracks replace roads.
Gorno-Badakhshan
ExpertPamir Highway — Osh to Ishkashim via the Wakhan Corridor Junction (M41)
The roof of the world has a road. It barely qualifies.