TT West 2026 – The Best of TT West in Utah and Arizona

By Larry Brickner

You drive your TT next to a 20-foot sandstone boulder weighing about 300 tons for a photo opportunity. The boulder sits precariously on a tiny pedestal as if it could roll off and crush your TT at any moment, though it has likely remained that way for centuries. This stop in Vermilion Cliffs National Monument is one of many amazing sights along Routes 89 and 89A in Utah and Arizona.

From 2002 to 2023, TT West often visited one or two attractions along this scenic route. This year’s 850-mile trip revisited all of those memorable locations in a single drive through some of the most beautiful scenery in the United States. In addition to the grandeur and driving challenges of the road itself, we visited nearby National and State Parks and Monuments, including Cedar Breaks, Bryce, Zion, Coral Pink Sand Dunes, the Grand Canyon, Vermilion Cliffs, Wupatki and Tuzigoot ancient Native American stone village ruins, an old western fort, a ghost town, and picturesque Sedona.

TT West 2026 started on Sunday, May 31, in Cedar City, Utah, with a drive to the ancient petroglyphs at Parowan Gap. Seemingly in the middle of nowhere, these images pecked into natural sandstone panels represent the largest concentration of petroglyphs in southwestern Utah. These carvings date to around 500 AD and include clan symbols, geometric designs, and images of wild game. Later markings were added by Spanish explorers and nineteenth-century pioneers who passed through the area. We then returned to Cedar City with a TT parade down Main Street.

Monday’s drive focused on Utah’s spectacular hoodoo formations. Hoodoos are colorful rock pinnacles found in geologic cliff “amphitheaters” hundreds to thousands of feet deep. The drive started with challenging twisties to the summit of Brian Head Mountain (11,300 feet) on our way to Cedar Breaks National Monument. We then drove through ancient lava beds en route to Bryce National Park. While Cedar Breaks offered about a mile of hoodoo vistas, Bryce provided 17 miles of these spectacular sights.

Tuesday began by exploring the western end of Zion National Park, known as the Checkerboard Mesa area because of the pink-and-white checkerboard patterns in the sandstone canyon walls. Bighorn sheep prowl the canyon tops. The road through Zion, completed in 1930, features a mile-long tunnel through solid rock and was a remarkable engineering achievement for its era.

Our next stop was Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park. The dunes are believed to be more than 10,000 years old and continue to shift as winds deposit sand from the region’s red sandstone. In a few million years, this area may resemble Zion. Our final attraction of the day was Pipe Spring National Monument, an old western frontier fort.

From Pipe Spring we traveled to our hotel in Kanab, Utah, following the historic Mormon Honeymoon Trail. The route earned its name from young Mormon pioneers who settled in northern Arizona and traveled 200 to 300 miles to the nearest temple in St. George, Utah, to have their marriages consecrated. Kanab and Pipe Spring served as waystations for these travelers.

Wednesday started with a visit to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. The original plan was to spend the morning at the North Rim Lodge, but the lodge and most North Rim facilities were destroyed by a forest fire last fall. Fortunately, the Park Service kept the eastern overlooks open, though no gas, food, or water was available. We packed a picnic lunch and enjoyed a meal with a view that surpassed any restaurant we visited all week.

After lunch came one of the most beautiful drives in the United States. We descended from the evergreen forests of the North Rim mesa through a series of twisties to the desert floor below and rejoined the Honeymoon Trail heading south. We followed Vermilion Cliffs National Monument, which feels like driving through the Grand Canyon itself, and stopped for photos with the massive balancing boulders mentioned earlier. We then visited Lee’s Ferry, once the only crossing of the Colorado River for hundreds of miles. Leaving Lee’s Ferry, we entered the Navajo Nation and continued to our lodging at the historic Cameron Trading Post. After supper, we made a round-trip drive to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon to watch the sunset.

Thursday, we continued south on Route 89 to Wupatki National Monument, featuring 900-year-old Native American stone village ruins. Next, we drove through an area of extinct volcanic cinder cones in Sunset Crater National Monument.

After Sunset Crater, we headed south on Route 89, which joins historic Route 66 through Flagstaff. TT West has traveled several sections of Route 66 over the years, and this added another chapter as we paraded through downtown. After lunch in Flagstaff, we followed Route 89A through spectacular Oak Creek Canyon and finished the day in the beautiful red-rock town of Sedona.

Friday’s route retraced the Route 89A mountain twisties south of Jerome, allowing us to enjoy them twice in one day. We began by visiting the 1,000-year-old Native American village ruins at Tuzigoot National Monument, then attacked the twisties on our way to the Phippen Museum of Western Art near Prescott. We returned over the same route to Sedona for our farewell dinner.

The mix of cars this year followed recent trends, with mostly Mk 3 models participating, along with one Mk 1 and three Mk 2s. Over the years, every TT special edition has participated, beginning with the 2000 Neiman Marcus Christmas Catalog Edition. This year we had both a 20th Anniversary TT and a Final Edition TT. Most participating cars were base TT models, along with four TT RSs and one TTS.

On a personal note, it has been an honor to be part of TT West planning and execution for the past 25 years and to lead the event for much of that time. TT West 2026 was my final year as event leader, as I pass the baton to Saul and Jeff Rivkin of Colorado for TT West 2027, which I plan to attend.

Audi owners without a TT may soon have a similar opportunity, as Jeff and Saul are considering an inaugural Audi West drive for 2027. Details will be announced on the ACNA website and Facebook page.

TT West began in 2001 when Southern California owners gathered to test their newly imported TTs. First held in Graeagle, California, it has run annually ever since and remains the longest-running Audi driving event in North America.

TT West is an Audi Club of North America sanctioned event, and all drivers must be members at the time of registration. All drivers and passengers must be at least 18 years of age at the start of the drive.

For the latest information on TT West 2027 and to join the mailing list before registration is announced publicly, visit www.tt-west.org and periodically check the TT West Facebook page.

To see this story and more, click here to access the Q3_2026 digital issue of quattro Magazine.