Drive A Rental Car Or Book A Guided Trip - Chena HOT SPRINGS
Updated: Feb 5, 2020
I get asked the question every day; Should I get a rental car and drive to view the aurora and hot springs or book a guided adventure?
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I personally love a nice relaxing soak in the peace and tranquility found within the natural mineral waters of the hot springs!
I will be Honest with you, the drive is the worst part. The road itself is 60 miles long. It starts out in pretty good condition and well-maintained, but the farther you go the worse it gets. The road becomes more narrow and with a fresh layer of snow it becomes difficult maintaining your side of the road with the oncoming traffic. Did I mention it's almost impossible to see the road if it's snowing...... it's like a blizzard!
If that isn’t bad enough you have to remember no matter what time of day that you go, you are coming back driving in the dark. I'm sure you're all familiar with the Alaskan moose. They like to eat the bushes that grow on side of the road and when a car passes it startles them and they don't know where to run so they could run right out in front of the car. Working previously in emergency services and EMS, I know first hand that hitting a moose can be deadly.
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Here are some snapshots of some recent fatalities on the road. :(
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All this to stay if the weather is good and the roads are nice and clear you're probably safe to drive out, but take extreme caution. At Williams Resorts, we take our guests out in a luxury coach with a professional driver that has been driving these roads their entire life. The other thing we have that rental cars won't have is MOOSE LIGHTS. Moose Lights are extremely bright lights that are mounted on the front of the vehicle that illuminate the road significantly more than regular headlights. With moose lights you'll be sure to see moose with enough time to come to a stop or drive around.