Texas
DifficultLonesome Highway — Trans-Pecos Desert Floor to Presidio via Pinto Canyon Road
Fifty miles of volcanic solitude in the Trans-Pecos.
Trail Type: Overland Route
USA
DifficultCathedral Valley Road — Capitol Reef’s Remote North District via Hartnet Junction
Desert monoliths and river fords in Capitol Reef's wild north.
Oklahoma
ModerateLonesome Highway — Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge Back Road to Quanah Parker Lake via French Lake Loop
Bison, granite domes, and Oklahoma's oldest rock.
Idaho
DifficultSwamp Creek Road to Wilderness Gateway — Clearwater River Canyon Rim via Selway Corridor
Rim of the largest wilderness left in the Lower 48.
Arizona
ModerateForest Road 500 — Kaibab Plateau North to Jacob Lake via East Rim Viewpoint
Grand Canyon's North Rim without the tour buses.
California
ModerateNacimiento-Ferguson Road — Coast Range Divide to Plaskett Creek via Santa Lucia Crest
Big Sur's sharpest ridgeline — no rails, no mercy.
New Mexico
ModerateGila Cliff Dwellings Back Road — Silver City to Gila Hot Springs via NM-15 and Inner Loop Road
Ancient cliff rooms, hot springs, real canyon country.
Oregon
ModerateLonesome Highway — Steens Mountain Loop Road via Kiger Gorge Overlook and Blitzen Valley
Oregon's highest drive, wild horses included.
California
ModerateNacimiento Road to Pozo Summit — Los Padres Central Coast Range High Divide
Coast Range grit, cold beer at the end.
Arkansas
ModerateOuachita National Recreation Trail — Athens to Talihina via the Arkansas-Oklahoma Ridgeline
The South's forgotten mountain spine.