Homestead has to start somewhere... Anyone have useful resources for finding suitable land in alaska

Title pretty much sums it up. Sure there is a lot of information available via google... But how to sort the good from the bad? I am hoping some folks on this forum might offer some guidance. Where does one look for land for sale in remote Alaska? What attributes does said land need to be viable for a homestead? What else do I need to know that I haven't even thought of yet? Thanks :)

I would first suggest narrowing down your search to a specific region of AK.  We are a rather large state with a very diverse topography and climatic regions.  

Perhaps you can help me do that.. Looking for trees, so not too far north. I want a town of some sort (not a big town, just a place to buy fuel and incidentals) that I can get to myself, by snow machine or atv or boat or something. I don't want to have to be flown in and out... Is there an area where the hunting / fishing is particularly better than another? Perhaps as important, is there an area where the mosquitos are less bad than others? Price of land is also a thing, from what looking around I have done land in south east Alaska seems to be quite a bit more expensive than other parts of the state.. Please feel free to share your opinions, I am early enough in the process that I have not formed many of my own yet.

Look at the Delta Junction area of Interior AK.

Ok, have done so and am liking what I see so far. Thanks for the tip. Next question, how much land does a person need? I assume you can hunt on state land?

Amount of land needed depends on just what you want to do as far as a homestead. There are some large spreads up there.  I had a friend that had a section (640 acres) that is now for sale from his estate.  There are much larger farms and way smaller farms than that.  Only you can decide just how much land you need depending on your needs.

My parents homesteaded just outside of Delta Junction when I was small (they had 160 acres, and my dad's parents had another 160 acres next to us, so we had 320 acres altogether as they farmed together).  Dad and Grandpa raised potatoes to sell, hay and barley for dairy cows (which were at another friend's place except for when we had a milk cow at home), and for a while sold milk, mostly to Fort Greeley.  There is a lot of good farming soil -- level, free of rocks -- in that area, but it may still need to be cleared, depending on where you buy.  There's good water not too far down, too.  Do some research on the growing season, though.  And keep in mind that there are high winds in that area, as well.  Also, in the summer, Alaska is prone to having a lot of wildfires, so keep a good firebreak around your home.  Another thing to consider is market if you plan to grow stuff to sell.  The local population isn't all that large, so you'd probably need to market stuff in Fairbanks or Anchorage.  Oh, and there are two herds of free-roaming bison in the area, one on each side of the Delta River.  If you can get a permit to hunt them (permits were being distributed by lottery last I knew) you can fill a couple of big freezers with meat.  However, they are a huge nuisance to area farmers, breaking down fences, trampling and eating crops, and breaking into hay sheds and devouring hay meant for the farmers' livestock.  They are also a hazard on the road (seems like every year someone gets killed by hitting a bison), and they can be dangerous to humans.  

It's been a long time since I've lived there, so I probably can't give you much more information, but do contact the Agricultural Extension office in Fairbanks and talk to the people there -- they've done huge amounts of research for decades on what will and will not grow in that area, and on the best types and breeds of livestock and crops.  

Kathleen