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Do you like bitter cold?

Lake Louise is a beautiful area but as mentioned you have the issue of bitter cold in the winter, lack of travel during freeze up and break up, and it'll probably be several years before get a tier II caribou permit so not much hunting opportunity. There are no stores out there so you'd have to boat to the dock, then drive either an hour to Glenallen which has limited stores, or 2+ hours to Palmer or 3+ hours to Anchorage.

If you want to get after the hunting a fishing life, SE Alaska is extremely hard to top. If I wasn't tied to Anchorage for employment, no question that's where I'd be headed. You've got the best ocean fishing in the state, shrimp, crab, incredible steelhead in the rivers, blacktail deer, black bear, goat and some limited moose hunting. Asside from Juneau, Sitka and Ketchican, you could be on the outskirts of the smaller towns and have a good mix of remote but without the huge access issues of interior Alaska remote.

Wealthy is a relative term, but the point I'm trying to make is if you want to live independently remotely you should have the funds to own your housing and transportation equipment outright and figure on at least $1000 month to cover misc expenses. The other thing is only a small percentage of land for sale is what I'd consider quality land. Land that has been on the market for a long time has issues with either access, drainage, lack of game, etc. Quality land sells quickly, so you need to learn the factors that make for quality land, and when it hits the market have cash in hand to purchase. Also if you find quality land with a 1/2 decent cabin on it, you're years ahead purchasing that over building. When you factor in cost of materials and the value of your time transporting those materials, existing cabins are a steal.

No salmon...

Succinctly, this!

I just went home for a couple of weeks to deal with some burglary issues and arson at our home in rural (roadless, coastal, fly-in only) Alaska. We lost close to $20,000 in the fire, more depending on how you value things. And it was all because I decided not to take a chance on getting a ride to the airport this spring; I should have snapped the padlock on the van with my own fingers rather than trusting a family member to do it. The connex, which ended up not being locked after all, was my insurance on the items it contained. Rural property insurance isn't as simple to buy as is insurance where there are roads. That is undoubtedly compounded by things such as the fact that no trained law enforcement person stepped foot in the area in the two weeks I waited.

I'll be boarding the windows at summer's end...at $100/sheet for 1/2" plywood. (Hmmmm, let's see; if I bring in and sell 4 fifths of R&R, I can buy ten sheets of plywood!)

well I see that 4 more of you guys responded again and again a big thank you to all of you.regarding the cold it is not my biggest worry but I would prefer it not be all that bitter if it can be avoided.i do want to be in a area with better and more hunting and fishing available as this is very important to me.i guess southwestern and southcentral would be my best bet or even the Alaskan strip which borders the northern Yukon and british Columbia.much more to research and learn about.you guys are so helpful and I'm very appreciative.im sure it would be a pleasure to sit and have a beverage or two with all of you and talk hunting,fishing and the outdoors!!!!! maybe some of the big lakes and rivers in the southwest or some rivers.certainly have time to do more research and eventually narrow down and visit there.

You need to go very early spring not winter.

god damned them Mark! My heart goes out for you. You need to leave Silas back there for a week later return and leave him in the connex with a 2X4. Also you need to remember to have both a dewalt and a hammer with tons of nails going both ways. They won't try that because its too much work..

A good platform with a lot of hidden nails.

I have been in Alaska since 1979, not living in the bush, but around Anchorage and Fairbanks. I agree 100% with what you have said, since in reality Alaska is one of the most expensive places in the nation to live. Even in Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau the cost of living can be around 139%-depending on the season-compared to a lot of other places in the lower-48. CA, and NYC do have a higher cost of living than Alaska.

And in relation to hunting grizzly/brown, and whatever else, that too takes a lot of cash, even if you live close to such game. If you have an airplane, or the right boat...maybe then you can find a place that other hunters won't run over you out there. The best would be being wealthy and have someone else taking you to the right place.

The cost of living is found in pages 26-30:

http://www.co.fairbanks.ak.us/cp/Community%20Research%20Quarterly/Current.pdf

thank you ray.i certainly have a lot to consider.

I apologize for sounding like a downer, but what 458 Lott and I said is nothing but true. The cost of living up here is what makes it difficult to most people, but if you have the cash there should not be any trouble at all. I retired from the AF in 1994, and am working on my second retirement (over 23 years already), plus my wife has been working for a lot of years. Our kids are grown up and gone. We make a pretty good penny, but let me tell you that Alaska is not a good place to live at if you want to make a good living plus save cash for a comfortable retirement. Healthcare and dental care are extremely expensive, too. A dental crown with root canal goes for around $1,500 these days, so you can imagine how much you would pay to be transported from the bush to a hospital in town. What a lot of people living outside the cities do is to buy transportation insurance such as Medivac (?) and other. The local healthcare in Alaska is quite bad and expensive, too. A lot of people end-up in Seattle for cardiovascular and other emergencies. But I have heard that Anchorage has some pretty good doctors for treating bear mauling and such.

Hope to be bear-mauled so as to avoid a need for medivac to Seattle?

What a strange land!

I was talking about the medical system in Alaska, which in general is not that great, except that we have some good doctors to treat people who have been mauled by bears. That part of the medical system is quite good in Alaska, simply because those doctors get a lot of practice. Don't you think so? Alaska has one of the most expensive and worst medical care in the USA, so a lot of people fly to Seattle and other places in the lower-48 to get treated. You need to read all I wrote, not just a sentence.

https://www.adn.com/opinions/2016/0...roy-economic-opportunity-and-warp-lives/

https://www.adn.com/opinions/2016/08/01/how-health-care-costs-are-bleeding-alaska-dry/

I'm going to be sure and be near Anchorage for my next bear mauling, that sounds great!

Good luck picking where the bear will maul you.

I understand exactly what you're saying Ray. Just having a little fun is all.

Got it, Ironbender.

If you live in Oregon, Seattle has some good trauma centers. Sometimes patients are sent to Seattle.

Ahhhh the Alaskan life, a life of leisure and relaxation. Worked from 9: 30 till 8 last night, went to metro airfield hooked up with my pard, hopped in his truck and we headed outa town with his boat in tow. Hit the Salcha about 8:45, unloaded the boat and cruising a lil after 9, ran for 50 minutes or so to his cabin, unloaded the boat and opened up the cabin, had a beer, some olives and cheese and crackers bs'ed for awhile mostly about kids.

hit the hay at midnite, had to drain beer at 5 a.m. never could go back to sleep but lazed in the rack till 6, up to kill a couple of squirrels and then fix some breakfast and on the river by a lil after 8, crikey I have to open my biz before 10, ran hard down the river and hit the landing about 8:45 Saw a nice lil bull moose close to his cabin (yummy) some ducks and a golden eagle.

load the boat, cinch er down and on the road, hit town about 9:30

thank god I keep extra clothes at work and toiletries. Opened the door at 9:55 and we're showtime. Think I'll actually go home tonite, but man it's beautiful out, the river is calling me hard.

Very nice! I wish I could do the same. And yes, it has been a great day.

But I still have to go to the South Cushman range to sight a new rifle/scope, but will have to wait to perhaps 8:00 for the range not to be so crowded. Meanwhile I will be replacing the oil and filter on my 2013 Rhino as I prepare for moose season. And just before moose season I have to replace a couple of windows on my house, clean and tune-up the boiler, and so on. At least I will spend around three weeks hanging around the campsite and taking photos during moose season, plus eating steaks, bacon, and all kinds of aromatic foods and bear attractants

Circus time in lil ol Keeneye. Even without any stinkin feesh!