Oregon
DifficultBlackrock Desert High Rock Canyon Emigrant Trail — Winnemucca Lake to High Rock Lake
800-foot walls, wagon ruts, and zero cell bars.
Trail Type: Backcountry
USA
ModerateChicken Creek Road — Fishlake National Forest Skyline Drive to Fish Lake Plateau
Utah high-country aspen plateau at 10,000 feet.
Oregon
DifficultGrave Creek to Marial Road — Wild Rogue Wilderness River Access
Oregon's hardest river access road. Worth every mile.
USA
DifficultShafer Trail Road — Canyonlands Rim to Potash via Island in the Sky
1,400 feet of exposed switchbacks off the rim.
California
ModerateChimney Peak Backcountry Byway — El Paso Mountains to Cinder Cones
Mojave volcanic country nobody bothers to visit.
California
ModerateModoc Volcanic Scenic Byway — Lava Beds to Medicine Lake Highlands
Lava, obsidian, and no crowds. True Modoc country.
Oregon
DifficultSheldon Antelope Range to Hart Lake Rim — Oregon High Desert Northern Circuit
Pronghorn, opals, and zero pavement. Real high desert.
USA
ModerateHole-in-the-Rock Road — Grand Staircase to Dance Hall Rock and Beyond
Mormon pioneer grit through Utah's raw desert.
Oregon
ModeratePoker Jim Ridge Road — Hart Mountain Antelope Refuge High Desert Run
Pronghorn country at 7,000 feet — no crowds, no signal.
Oregon
ModerateOwyhee Canyonlands Backcountry — Jordan Valley to Rome via Three Forks
Oregon's forgotten canyon country.