2026 Chevrolet Tahoe–Seeing the USA In An Avis Chevrolet!

Recently, my family took a long-awaited trip to visit the Grand Canyon in Arizona. For our week-long adventure, our transportation turned out to be a brand-new 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe LT. Chosen more out of necessity than desire, the full-size SUV would spend the next several days hauling family, luggage, and supplies across hundreds of miles of desert highways, mountain roads, and scenic overlooks—giving me plenty of time behind the wheel to see how Chevrolet’s big SUV performs in the role it was built for.

The truck also reminded me a lot of the classic big Chevrolets that Dinah Shore used to sing about in the ‘50s Chevy ads:

For Bobbi and my dad, going to the Grand Canyon was a bucket list trip that she had been planning for the better part of a year.  We found a house on VRBO, booked our flights, checked the weather, and looked at things to do in and around Flagstaff, Arizona.  I was in charge of making the rental car reservation.  Dad was coming with us, so we would need something large enough to transport us and our luggage from Phoenix Airport to Flagstaff and all the areas we would visit. We flew out of Reagan National early Sunday morning and landed in Phoenix just before 10:00 AM.   Emily stayed behind to wait for Dad while the rest of us went to the rental car counter.  After waiting in line for a long time, we were finally at the desk.  After another 15 minutes, they told us they had a Tahoe for us and to take the escalator to the ground floor, where it would be waiting in a spot.  There it was, a white 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe LT with black leather interior.  That would be our ride for the next week.

The Chevrolet Tahoe is the second-largest SUV in the Chevrolet lineup after the Suburban.  Much like the full-size Chevrolets of the 1960s, the Tahoe can be had in multiple trims ranging from the base LS, the LT, RST, Z71, Premier, and High Country. Most trims come with the standard 5.3 EcoTech3 V8, though you can get an optional 3.0 Duramax I6 diesel engine or a 6.2 EcoTech3 V8.  A Tahoe can be optioned as luxurious or as sporty as you wish.  Our Tahoe was a 2026 in the LT trim.  Well-equipped, it had a leather interior, power windows and lock, power liftgate, cruise control, running boards, Apple CarPlay, heated front seats, memory seats, fog lamps, Bose stereo, XM radio, backup camera, parking sensors, surround view, and room for eight.  If it had been my personal car, I would have opted for a sunroof and any other color but white.  This generation Tahoe was launched in 2021, and the 2025 refresh brought in bigger screens, a digital dash, a restyled gear selector, revised exterior lighting, and improvements to the engine.

Tahoes are big, and while I have driven large vehicles, including a Suburban and various U-Haul trucks, it took a few minutes to get used to driving it. After pairing my phone, we were able to use Google Maps and make our way back to Terminal 3 to pick up Dad and Emily.  It took us a while to figure out how to get the second row seat to move forward for easier access to the third row.  Also, fitting in our luggage meant we had to fold down one side of the third row.  If we had another passenger, a Suburban would have been a better choice because it’s longer, so you have more room for luggage behind the third row.

After a few wrong turns, we finally left the airport and started our two-and-a-half-hour trip to Flagstaff.  Heading north, the terrain starts as desert, with large cacti and some wildflowers. Our first pitstop was at Rock Springs Cafe in Black Canyon City, AZ.  The Rock Springs Cafe started as a store in 1918 and has expanded over the years.  The store is still there, and there is a nice garden area. Rock Springs Cafe is world-famous for its pies, with people traveling from all over to try them. We enjoyed lunch and dessert, and afterwards, we continued our drive towards Flagstaff and Sedona.

Flagstaff is almost 7,000 feet above sea level, and so we headed up into the mountains.  The Tahoe was truly in its element as we headed towards Flagstaff with plenty of power.  On our way, we made a planned detour to Sedona.  We chose Flagstaff because it was closer to the sites we wanted to see, but we still wanted to spend some time in Sedona.  Sedona has beautiful red rock hills that surround the town, and after spending some time there, we then headed north through Oak Creek Canyon towards Flagstaff.  Driving in the canyon along the twisty roads was when I was truly aware of the size of the Tahoe.  No one would say the Tahoe is a sports car, nor is it meant to be.  The road was narrow in places, and a Subaru Outback or Jeep Grand Cherokee would have been a better choice.

Arriving in Flagstaff, we headed off to our house and found it to be everything it was promised to be.  The girls and Dad settled into their rooms while Bobbi and I headed off to Safeway, just like in Maryland, for groceries.  We cooked a light dinner and then headed off to bed so we could start our adventures well-rested.

Having lived my whole life east of the Mississippi River, my definition of historic structures dates back to the 1600s.  The first English colonists arrived in Maryland in 1634, so to me, Flagstaff is young, having only been founded on July 4, 1876.  Many of the structures in Flagstaff date to the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and the town is bisected by Route 66, which turns 100 Years Old this year.  Being in the mountains, Flagstaff has all four seasons.  Winter brings snow, while summers are cool.  From our house, we could see the mountains.

After breakfast, we headed out for the day to explore the Bonito Lava Flow at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument, located north of Flagstaff.  Everyone piled into the Tahoe, and off we went.  Sunset Crater erupted in 1064 and 1066, covering the area in ash, which led to the settlement of the Cohonina and Ancestral Puebloans in the Wupatki site, now the Wupatki National Monument.  Hiking at the Bonito Lava Flow allowed us to see the landscape up close as the trails take you down into the flow.  There is an accessible walk around the flow for those who may not be up to the trail, but we found it easy enough.

Leaving Sunset Crater, we continued onto the Wupatik National Monument.  Although the site was abandoned around 1225, the area had been home to almost 2,000 people who farmed the land.  Today, you can see the archaeological digs and explore different sites in the area.  It’s also on the edge of the desert, which means the temperature was 15 degrees warmer than at Sunset Crater.  The US National Park Service runs all of the parks, so we purchased the annual pass, which allowed us to enter all the National Parks.  This would save us time on Tuesday when we would head off to the Grand Canyon.

The Grand Canyon is not off an interstate.  Rather, you drive an assortment of roads, depending on the route you choose.  For us, we drove on US 180 past the Arizona Snowbowl until we reached Arizona Route 64.  We headed north and arrived at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. Many of the roads we traveled were two-lane roads.  Sitting so high, you could see over smaller cars, but what we noticed was that many people in that area preferred to drive larger vehicles like pickups and larger SUVs like the Tahoe.  Some of it, in my opinion, has to do with distances traveled.  Things are far away, and you want something durable and comfortable.  Also, weather conditions could be harsh.  We encountered high winds while traveling, but you didn’t really feel it in the car. For the passengers, the ride was quiet and luxurious.

The Tahoe was one of the first vehicles I drove that had Apple CarPlay.  Both our Outback and Accord have built-in navigation systems, which we like, but we both found Apple CarPlay to be quite convenient.  It was nice to have everything there on your phone so you could look up routes in advance and not have to key in an address into the vehicle navigation.  One thing the Tahoe has is lots of screens, which I don’t like.  You could configure the dashboard to show all sorts of information or have your directions right in front of you.  However, I have to wonder how durable the screens are.  If the screen goes blank, you have no gauges:  no speedometer, no directions, nothing.  I know screens are fashionable, but if they fail, that’s an expensive repair.

Arriving at the Grand Canyon, the visitor center parking lot was full, so we parked at the Yavapai Geology Museum. The museum overlooks the Grand Canyon, and it is an easy walk to the Visitor Center.   If you have never been to the Grand Canyon, you should make the trip.  It is spectacular.  Our photos do not do it justice.  People do walk out to the edge, and there are plenty of overlooks where you can do so safely.  After dinner at the Grand Canyon Village, we drove along the South Rim to the Desert View Tower.  Designed by the American architect Mary Colter, the tower was built in 1932.  You can tour it, but we were too late to do so. Our goal was to watch the sunset over the Grand Canyon, and we accomplished that.

On Wednesday, we once again headed out of Flagstaff to see Antelope Canyon. Located in the Navajo Nation, Flash floods carved Antelope Canyon over the years.  You can only enter with a tour group, and so we drove the two hours to Page, Arizona, to hop on the tour bus.  Driving to Page takes you through the Navajo reservation.  While Arizona does not observe Daylight Saving Time, the Navajo Nation does.  Fortunately, the clock in the Tahoe easily switched back and forth, depending on where we were.  Arriving in Page, we grabbed a quick lunch at the local McDonald’s and then headed to catch our tour.  At the Canyon, we were guided onto the path and through the canyon.  It was amazing!  Again, my photos do not do it justice.  It was a short tour, 90 minutes in total, and that is counting the ride to and from.  Still, it was worth the trip.

Outside of Page, we stopped at the Glen Canyon overlook.  Glen Canyon is one of the canyons that links to the Grand Canyon.  The Colorado River flows through, which makes its way into the Grand Canyon.  Page is a new town, founded in 1957 and built to house the workers at the Glen Canyon Dam.  You can stop at a visitor center by the dam.

Leaving Glen Canyon, we headed back towards Flagstaff as we wanted to stop at the Cameron Trading Post.  We were concerned we would be too late as they closed at 9:00, but fortunately for us, they followed Arizona Time.  Founded in 1916, the Cameron Trading Post is a restaurant, hotel, store, art gallery, and gas station.  The restaurant has a great art collection in the dining room, which made a good dinner that much more enjoyable.  One of the house specialties is fried bread.  Bobbi wanted to try it as she had read about the fried bread in a book.  We liked it, and it is something you could share.  After dinner, we headed home.

Thursday was our last full day, and we had big plans.  Bobbi and Katie wanted to go to Winslow, Arizona, to see Eagles Corner.  Winslow is an hour’s drive east of Flagstaff on Interstate 40.  We headed out after breakfast and made our way there.  Once again, the Tahoe did great on the highway, and everyone was comfortable.  Arriving in Winslow, we parked and made our way to the intersection and the Standin’ on the Corner Park.  There, you’ll find murals, statues, a flatbed Ford truck, and other elements made famous in the song “Take it Easy”.  Winslow, Arizona, is a railroad town, but it took a hit when I-40 bypassed Route 66.  Today, the park brings in visitors.

Also in Winslow is the La Posada Hotel, which was also designed by Mary Colter.  The La Posada Hotel was run by the Fred Harvey Company and served rail passengers on their travels.  Today, motorists enter through the courtyard, but the front entrance faces the train tracks by the station as passengers.  Built in 1929, this hotel was the last of the Fred Harvey hotels.  The gardens are well worth the trip, as is the restaurant, The Turquoise Room.  This year is the 100th Anniversary of Route 66, and while it is easy to travel along today, in 1930, the train was a much more comfortable way to travel as opposed to driving, even in a luxury car like a Cadillac or a Packard.  Driving Route 66 is pure Americana.  I am not one to judge what others drive.  It’s your choice if you want a Prius or a Suburban, but as I said to Bobbi, it would not have felt right if we had made the trip in a Subaru or a BMW.  The Chevrolet Tahoe was the right vehicle for the trip.

Returning to Flagstaff, we did a bit of souvenir shopping before dinner.  After dinner, we headed over to Lowell Observatory for the night viewing of the stars.  Lowell Observatory is where Pluto was discovered in 1930.  It is Arizona’s state planet.  It was a great evening with a fantastic sunset and moonrise over the city.  The star viewing was good, but we had a full moon that night, and so the sky was not as dark as it could have been.  We did get to see Jupiter, Venus, and Saturn through various telescopes.

The next morning, we headed back to Phoenix to catch our flights home.  Again, the Tahoe was a great vehicle to whisk us back to the airport with our luggage.  We did stop in Scottsdale for a quick lunch and an In-N-Out Burger.  In a crowded parking lot, you notice the size of the Tahoe.  You can’t just whip into a space; it required some planning.  That said, I did see quite a few Suburbans, Denalis, and Escalades in the parking lots, so they must not have been bothered by the size.  After lunch, we headed over to the airport.  Dad’s gate was in another location, and so we said goodbye to him and made our way to our gate.  Arriving in DC, we loaded our luggage into the Outback and headed home.

On trips like this, Bobbi and I always ask each other if we could live in the town we just left.  For us, Flagstaff was an enthusiastic yes.  We loved it there, and I could make a compelling case to retire there.  It joins a short list of areas that we loved visiting and look forward to returning.  For the Tahoe, we did ask if we could see ourselves owning one.  Bobbi thought it was too big for daily use.  For me, I loved driving it, though if I bought one, it would be a vanity play on my part.  Gas mileage wasn’t horrible, and it was very comfortable.  At this point in life, Emily and Katie are adults and will, soon enough, leave home, so it will be Bobbi, the girls (the dogs), and me.  I have quite a few friends who own Tahoes, so I wouldn’t be the odd man out, but they do use the towing capabilities of their Tahoes to tow boats and horse trailers.  We have neither. While a Tahoe would be more than what we really need, it might be fun to have one. Maybe we could take the girls out to Flagstaff, too!  To quote both Dinah Shore and Brooke Lee, “See the USA in Your Chevrolet!”