Australia
ExpertArkaroola Wilderness Sanctuary Ridge Top Tour — Arkaroola Village to Freeling Heights via the Northern Flinders Ranges
1.5 billion years old and it'll still eat your rig.
Trail Type: Scenic Drive
Karas Region
DifficultFish River Canyon 4×4 Trail — Hobas to Ai-Ais via the Canyon Rim Desert Track
Second-largest canyon on earth. Zero guardrails.
China
DifficultKarakoram Highway — Kashgar to Gilgit via Khunjerab Pass
Highest international highway on earth.
China
ExpertSichuan–Tibet Highway — Chengdu to Lhasa via the Southern Route (G318)
Fourteen passes. Two weeks. One legendary road.
Bhutan
DifficultTrans-Bhutan Trail Road
Through the Dragon Kingdom, pass to pass.
Romania
ModerateTransfăgărășan Highway
Ceaușescu's mountain folly is Europe's best drive.
Italy
ModerateStelvio Pass Road — Prato allo Stelvio to Bormio via the Italian Alps High Circuit
48 hairpins. One brutal alpine legend.
Canada
ModerateDempster Highway — Dawson City to Inuvik via the Richardson Mountains and Peel Plateau
Canada's Arctic Circle gravel corridor.
Tennessee
ModerateSawmill Road to Greenbrier — Smokies Backcountry Approach via Old NC-284 and Ramsey Prong
Elk, old homesteads, and Smokies solitude on dirt.
USA
ModerateCoyote Gulch to Cottonwood Canyon — Grand Staircase Desert Spine via Skutumpah Road and Willis Creek
Clay badlands and slot canyons on Utah's lonesome bench.