Texas
DifficultBig Bend River Road West — Presidio to Santa Elena Canyon via Rancherias Loop
Rio Grande borderland. No pavement, no crowds.
Trail Type: Backcountry
Colorado
ModerateHalfmoon Road to Mount Elbert Trailhead — Sawatch Range Subalpine Approach
Base camp for Colorado's highest ground.
Oklahoma
ModerateLonesome Pine Road — Ouachita National Forest to Kiamichi River via Potato Hills Divide
Deep Oklahoma hills, deep red clay, deep quiet.
USA
DifficultKellner Canyon to Tensleep Canyon — Bighorn Mountains East Face Desert Road
Bighorn's eastern face, raw and unforgiving.
Montana
ModerateBeartooth Pass North Slope Road — Red Lodge to Cooke City via Gardner Lake Spur and Line Creek Plateau
Above the Beartooth pavement where the tundra takes over.
USA
ExpertFlint Trail — Canyonlands Maze District Entry via Hans Flat Ranger Station
The hardest legal road into the most remote canyon country.
California
ModerateBrokeoff Mountain Road — Lassen Volcanic National Park Backcountry Approach via Mill Creek Summit
Volcanic weirdness on Lassen's forgotten south side.
Montana
DifficultLonesome Highway — Centennial Mountains Divide Road to Lima via Red Rock River Valley
The divide road nobody talks about — for good reason.
USA
ModerateJones Hole Road to Diamond Mountain — Dinosaur Country Backcountry Circuit via Island Park
Canyon rim, Fremont rock art, Green River below.
California
ModerateCoyote Dry Lake Playa Road — Lucerne Valley to Coyote Dry Lake via Rodman Mountains
Petroglyphs, basalt, and a ghost-white playa.