Yes the routs between Ragnarok and Gray Duck overlap, so it goes to follow. The Gray Duck course opened my eyes to some roads I didn’t know existed. Same goes for my Dad who lived in the Northfield/Cannon Falls/Zumbrota area for almost 70 years.
Go ride the old Almanzo route or the Spring Valley 100 ( I think that uses almost the full old route). Those roads are amazing.
The ride with GPS file if found for ragnorak 105 has a fair bit of tar on it.
I used to live in Texas, so I’ll second Texas Chainring Massacre, Red River Riot, and Renegade Rambler. All really well run events, challenging, and fun.
However, now I live in NW Arkansas, and while I haven’t even scratched the surface of the events here, I’ll toss a few in:
1. Big Sugar
Final stop in Lifetime’s Grand Prix. Beautiful scenery, tons of climbing (about 6-7,000’ if I’m remembering correctly), chunky gravel. Distances are 100 or 50 miles. Extremely well run event last year with Untapped Creemees waiting for the finishers. It’s on my schedule to do again this year. The route goes right by my neighborhood. 
No technically 100% gravel (what gravel event is?), RO3 combines road, gravel, and singletrack, and offers 50 and 100 mile distances with around 8,000’ of climbing on the 100 mile course. This started just a couple of years ago as a grass roots event meant to be inexpensive, less competitive (it’s still competitve LOL), and fun. Similar chunky gravel to Big Sugar (lots of the same roads are used) but what makes this one especially challenging is the 20 or so miles of singletrack. As a mountain biker, I love this event. You can really tell the people with road backgrounds from the mtn bikers when you hit the singletrack (and vice versa when we’re on the road/gravel).
Throwing this out there for the crazies out there and because it’s one of Arknasas’s premiere events. I haven’t done this (and never will!), but they have two distances: 500 and 1,050 miles, with elevation gains of 32,000 and 75,000’. 
4. Chinkapin Hollow Gravel Grinder
Another honorable mention because I haven’t done this one since it’s always been the day after Big Sugar, but they moved the date this year so that helps. This is another one like RO3 and Big Sugar that is literally right in my backyard, so I would like to do it. Same terrain as those events but with some different roads. Distances are 40, 60, and 100.
Oops, that’s four. 
Sorry.
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New York: Keuka Lake Gravel Classic
It is in the beautiful Finger Lakes area. No traffic dirt roads through state parks. Plenty of elevation. Long course and a short course. I’ve heard a rumor it will be the NY State “Gravel Championship” this year.
Arizona: Chino Grinder
It is just fucking hard. Conditions are unpredictable in September. This year the 120 was full of mud, full sunshine hitting 90F. Everyone but the winner had to walk a few miles of this sticky clay mud, while I’ve heard other years it was snowing at high elevation. 4500ft->3800ft->7200ft->6000some and back down. It is just really hard. I actually think the 60 would be the most “enjoyable” distance.
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Idaho
Angry Horse
Boise Gravel Gala
And Rebecca’s if it hasn’t already been said.
As the post title mentions country… for France, I’d suggest :
Wish One Gravel, Millau - the only UCI Worlds qualifier in France, and actually looks quite good with some predictably steep climbs and descents and a long section over the plateau of Larzac which is large, desolate and empty, dotted with Templar strongholds and reputed to be the hiding place of the Holy Grail.
Tro Bro Leon Gravel - in common with a lot of French gravel events, it’s a gravel route offered amongst the options of a large cyclosportive. This at least means a good organisation, but there’s always the feeling of being the scruffy minority 
As the Tro Bro Leon itself has a reputation for taking a lot of “interesting” farm tracks, it’s entirely possible that the gravel route is just a shorter version of the main event…
Raid des Alpilles Gravel - part of the Cannondale Gravel Tour, this is the only gravel race I’ve actually done… lovely scenery on the edge of Provence with views as far as the Med and Mt Ventoux. Friendly and good fun (apart from the cheeky, rocky singletrack final descent)
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Arkansas here:
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Rule of 3 (Bentonville): It’s mix of gravel, single track, and paved road. 50 & 100mi options, categories are solo, team of 3, co-ed team of 3, single speed and a few others I can’t remember. Huge party with included food, swag, beer etc. at the finish.
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Ouachita Challenge (Oden): 100K Gravel on Saturday and/or 100K MTB on Sunday. Beautiful scenery, breakfast included, inexpensive camping spots. All around great event.
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Big Sugar/Little Sugar (Bentonville): Part of the Lifetime Grand Prix series. I haven’t done this one yet, but it’s the most famous in the state so I feel like it needs to be on the list.
Thanks, I was going to suggest the Cascadia Super G for Washington as well. Are you doing it this year? I did the 50 miler last year and just signed up for the same length this year.
There are also the “Gravel Unravel” series which is small but pretty good!
Quilcene Gravel Unravel | Peninsula Adventure Sports
I did the series last year and did pretty well. The events are very well run!
Hmmm…I have been trying to organize a rip with buddies to Bentonville around this time as a mini-training camp ahead of FNLD GRVL. The timing of this would be perfect. 
Did it last year…great event. Loved it, even though it was brutally hard with the strong winds.
Yes, I’ll do the 50. Weather is too iffy to commit to the 100 IMO. Could be perfect weather like last year, could be rainy, cold, sufferfest like the year before.
I did the Hoh-ly roller of the Gravel Unravel series and have ridden a lot of the Bon Jon pass out route. Good events, but not top three in the state IMO. My top 3 in WA would be GF Ephrata, Cascadia Super G, and GF Goldendale. Scenery in the latter makes up for less gravel.
sweet! I’ll see you out there then. I took 2nd in the 40-49 age group, last time. Hope to do better this go around!
I just got to WA last year so those are the only gravel races ive done here. Looking forward to trying the others you mentioned.
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Ro3 sells out, so keep that in mind if you decide to do it. 
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Original Post updated with recommendations up until this point. Hoping this is useful - I enjoy reading it and checking out some of the websites.
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Since the US is going by state I feel like the UK should go by country. For Scotland the Reiver is probably still #1 even though it’s just over the border, but if we’re excluding that then:
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Duke’s Weekender is the biggest / best known / friendliest: https://www.dukesweekender.com/
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The Gralloch - brand new this year, but it’s a UCI qualifier so I expect it will get some attention: https://www.grallochgravel.com/
2b. as an alternate, it’s worth noting that Gralloch is being run in the same place and by the same folk that did the inaugural Raiders Gravel last year, which may turn out to be the more social event since it’s a 3-day stage race: https://raidersgravel.com/ -
Frontier 300 - the second half of this is in England so could be claimed by either country. Run by the same team as the Dirty Reiver: https://frontier300.cc/
Honourable Mention:
Muc ‘n’ Mac Fest - the most fun I had last year. Enduro format like the Duke’s but with festival programming like the Raiders. Small and friendly: https://www.mucknmacfest.co.uk/
The Racing Collective - if you like your events a bit more stealth/hipster. These folks are best known for the GBDuro, but they have great internet-run ‘Trials’ in all three mainland GB nations and I’ve had a great time with each of the Scottish ones (ScotDuro is my highlight): https://www.theracingcollective.com/
Sorry if someone else mentioned these, but I don’t see them linked in the original post.
North Carolina actually has a lot of really good gravel racing options. The already linked Bootlegger is fantastic. But NC also has (among others):
https://croatanbuckfifty.com/ - With 50, 100 and 150 mile options. This is a flat and fast course out near the coast.
Belgian Waffle Ride: North Carolina - belgianwaffleride - BWR’s NC event over in the mountains. This (literally) went through my yard in 2022. Great course, lots of fun steep climbing.
https://www.lovevalleyroubaix.com/ - In 2022 this was a 3 day omnium with a Friday uphill gravel TT, Saturday 100 mile race & Sunday 55 (I think) mile race. Really nice courses with some great climbing. I’m biased because I won the omnium in 2022.
Virginia also has a lot of great options, but I think one of the more interesting ones is https://www.theappalachianjourney.com/ - A partner based event ~110 miles long. Fantastic roads, and also a lot of climbing. My wife and I won the co-ed category in 2022, so again I’m a bit biased. And maybe I just really like climbing. Although, my wife isn’t a fan and she enjoyed this course a lot.
Is this forum really that US-centric, or is it just gravel races? Could OP sort the non-US events by country?
I give BWR NC an “ok”. Great gravel roads but the silly falling creek camp portion and the whole doubling up and doing a second loop over pinnacle is uninspiring. Ive done it the last two year and dont plan to be back until they get it figured out a bit more. In my opinion, its a work in progress
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Sorry you didn’t like the Falling Creek segment. I’m the reason it was included. I used to live on the camp’s property and convinced the owners to allow the race to use it. The course went under my front porch.
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The mowed grass “single track “ was a disappointment. If we were going to do a really steep climb, I was hoping for some fun return on the other side….but mowed grass wasn’t it. I was able to put some time into people there though, not sure why people had issues riding it.