India
ExpertLeh to Umling La — World’s Highest Motorable Road via Hanle and Demchok Approach
19,024 feet. The top of the motorable world.
Trail Type: Scenic Drive
Montana
ModerateMojave Road — Deception Valley Central Kalahari Desert Track via Matswere Gate and Sunday Pan
Nineteen switchbacks to the roof of the Rockies.
Namibia
ModerateNamib Desert Moon Landscape to Swakopmund — Welwitschia Drive and Vogelfederberg Desert Circuit
1,500-year-old plants and a desert that looks like the moon.
China
ModerateSichuan–Tibet Highway — Ya’an to Kangding via Erlang Mountain and Luding Bridge
G318's violent opening act — gorges, history, altitude.
Bhutan
DifficultBhutan Lateral Road — Thimphu to Trashigang via Thrumshingla Pass
Bhutan's backbone: cloud forest, passes, no tourists.
Bolivia
ExtremeCamino de la Muerte North — Coroico Descent to Yolosa via the North Yungas Death Road
The world's most dangerous road. It earned that name.
Canada
ModerateDempster Highway — Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk via the Mackenzie Delta Coastal Tundra
Gravel to the Arctic Ocean. No shortcuts.
Sri Lanka
DifficultRooftop of Sri Lanka — Horton Plains to World’s End via the Central Highlands Plateau
4,000-foot drop at the edge of the world.
Namibia
DifficultSossusvlei to Naukluft Mountain Plateau — Hardap Desert High Spine via Solitaire and Tsaris Pass
Dunes to gorge country in one savage Namibian day.
California
ModerateCrowley Lake to Benton Crossing — Owens Valley Volcanic Tableland Desert Loop via Long Valley Caldera
Hot springs and obsidian in the volcanic east Sierra.