Arizona
DifficultGold Basin Road to Sugarloaf Mountain — Tonto National Forest Mazatzal Wilderness Edge
Mazatzal basalt and zero guardrails.
Surface: Mixed
Alabama
ModerateWilderness Road to Breaks of the Sandy Creek — Bankhead National Forest Canyon Rim via Sipsey Fork
Alabama slot canyons nobody's talking about.
New Mexico
ModerateBrokeoff Mountains Rim Road — Jemez to Valles Caldera via Redondo Peak Divide
Volcanic caldera rim on loose Jemez gravel.
USA
ModerateLonesome Highway — Bighorn Basin Desert Floor to Meeteetse via Kirby Creek and Oregon Basin Road
Wyoming badlands, oil country, zero crowds.
USA
ModerateLonesome Highway — Gros Ventre Slide to Turquoise Lake via Red Hills Road and Atherton Creek
Landslide scars, moose meadows, and no pavement.
USA
DifficultCoyote Gulch to Death Hollow — Escalante River Wilderness Canyon Circuit via Hurricane Wash
Slot canyons, arches, and zero cell service.
Montana
DifficultLonesome Highway — Beartooth Plateau North Slope to Clarks Fork Canyon via Line Creek Road
Off the Beartooth and into the deep canyon country.
New Mexico
ModerateLonesome Highway — Jemez Mountains High Road to Valles Caldera via Forest Road 376
Supervolcano rim road, elk, obsidian, solitude.
USA
ExpertMaze District Road — Hans Flat Ranger Station to Flint Trail via the Canyonlands Backcountry
The Maze: no margin, no crowds, no forgiveness.
California
ModerateGenesee Road to Shuteye Peak — Sierra Nevada Foothills Mining Spine via Bass Lake
Sierra summit, zero crowds, hundred-mile views.