I've lived in Alaska for over 35 years. Here are 6 mistakes I always see tourists make when visiting the state.

Tech Insider : Travel, Travel
The view of Exit Glacier next to a patch of grass.
After living in Alaska for over 35 years, I've seen many visitors make the same mistakes.

Lisa Maloney

Alaska's pristine rivers are turning a rusty orange even when seen from space, likely because of melting permafrost: study

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An orange tributary of the Kugororuk River in Alaska.
An orange tributary of the Kugororuk River in Alaska.

Joshua Koch, US Geological Survey

Alaska, Delaware, and West Virginia are the only states that still don't have a single billionaire resident

Tech Insider : Economy
Anchorage, Alaska skyline in 2012, showing buildings, sea and snowy mountains
No billionaires list Alaska as their primary residence, according to Forbes.

Blue Poppy/Getty Images

The US Army has its eyes on the Arctic and is readying soldiers for the cold, unforgiving wastes that could be their next battlefield

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U.S. Army Sgt. Juan Ramirez, assigned to 5th Squadron, 1st Calvary Regiment, pulls security during Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 24-02 at Donnelly Training Area, Alaska, Feb. 18, 2024.
U.S. Army Sgt. Juan Ramirez, assigned to 5th Squadron, 1st Calvary Regiment, pulls security during Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 24-02 at Donnelly Training Area, Alaska, Feb. 18, 2024.

U.S. Army photo by Pfc.

Photos show US Army paratroopers jumping out of giant C-17s into the freezing Arctic for an airborne assault. Soldiers say it's a rush.

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A U.S. Army Soldier from 3rd Battalion, 509th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 11th Airborne Division, prepares to land on Donnelly Drop Zone as part of Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 24-02 at Donnelly Training Area, Alaska, Feb 8, 2024.
A U.S.

US soldiers say running high-stress artillery ops deep in the ever-changing Arctic is unlike anywhere else

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Charlie Battery, 120th Field Artillery Regiment, 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Wisconsin National Guard, responded to a simulated chemical response event at Camp Grayling, Mich. Jan. 25, 2022.
Charlie Battery, 120th Field Artillery Regiment, 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Wisconsin National Guard, responded to a simulated chemical response event at Camp Grayling, Mich. Jan. 25, 2022.

U.S.

US Army attack helicopters are making 150-mile deep strike runs in the Arctic, where pilots grapple with frozen equipment and whiteout landings

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U.S. Army AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters assigned to 1st Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment Attack Reconnaissance Battalion (ARB) prepare for flight on Fort Wainwright, Alaska, January 13, 2019.
U.S. Army AH-64D Apache Longbow attack helicopters assigned to 1st Battalion, 25th Aviation Regiment Attack Reconnaissance Battalion (ARB) prepare for flight on Fort Wainwright, Alaska, January 13, 2019.

U.S.

Potential spy balloon found by fishermen off the coast of Alaska is being delivered to the FBI for examination

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Sailors recover a high-altitude surveillance balloon
In early February 2023, sailors assigned to Explosive Ordnance Disposal Group 2 recovered a high-altitude surveillance balloon off the coast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina (pictured above).

US soldiers are fighting to get back lost skills for war in the 'most challenging environment on the planet,' Army general says

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U.S. Army Soldiers assigned to 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, ready to defend their objective outside of Utqiagvik, Alaska as part of Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Training Center 24-02, Feb. 15, 2024.
U.S.

The US Army is breeding a new kind of Arctic warrior by 'testing the mettle of the human' in frigid, freezing Alaska, commander says

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U.S. Soldiers assigned to 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, move to their objective outside of Utqiagvik, Alaska as part of Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Training Center 24-02, Feb. 15, 2024.
U.S. Soldiers assigned to 1st Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, move to their objective outside of Utqiagvik, Alaska as part of Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Training Center 24-02, Feb.
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