USA
ModerateTeton Pass Road — Alpine to Jackson via the Snake River Canyon Rim and Greys River Loop
Wyoming's elk-packed canyon road to Jackson.
Trail Type: Backcountry
Ethiopia
ExtremeErta Ale Volcano Approach Road — Dodom to Erta Ale Caldera via the Danakil Depression Floor
Earth's lava lake. Africa's worst heat.
Australia
ExpertGibb River Road — Kalumburu Road Junction to Mitchell Falls via Drysdale River and King Edward River Crossings
Kimberley's hardest reward: Mitchell Falls.
Alaska
ModerateTaylor Highway — Tok to Eagle via the Fortymile River Canyon and American Summit
End of the road. No, really — the actual end.
Botswana
DifficultNossob to Two Rivers — Kgalagadi Trans-Frontier 4×4 Wilderness Track via Bitterputs
Deep Kalahari sand. Lions. No safety net.
Peru
DifficultHuarney to Chavín de Huántar — Cordillera Blanca Desert Canyon Traverse via Quebrada Malvas
Ancient ruins at the end of a canyon nobody takes.
Northern Cape
DifficultRichtersveld Groot Derm to Port Nolloth — Namaqualand Coastal Desert Track via Natab
Diamond country dirt — fog, quartzite, silence.
Kenya
ExpertTurkwel Gorge Road — Lodwar to Lokichar via the Turkwel River Canyon
Lava, sand, and silence in Kenya's forgotten northwest.
Chile
ModerateNahuelbuta High Ridge Track — Angol to Cañete via the Nahuelbuta Coastal Cordillera
Monkey puzzle giants and Pacific views on a forgotten spine.
Africa
ExtremePiste du Tenere — Agadez to Fachi via the Ténéré Desert Core
The Sahara's hardest blank space — no margin for error.