How hard is this if you want land that is road accessible (so that I don't have to trespass in order to reach it), and has a source of water like a creek?
Last year, we bought a 40 acres in Colorado with a creek and a half-finished cabin for 100k. The land is about 45 min from our house in town, last 2 miles are 4wd only dirt road. There is 1-2 acre that is flat enough to farm, the rest is too steep. In the mountains, if it is steep it will be cheap.
As far as the no building codes dream, good luck finding that. Expect the county to do whatever it can to make your life difficult and extract the maximum of fees from you.
I guess the main use of the steep land is to provide physical distance from the neighbors. We do have some trails and lots of trees for hiking and firewood. Hunting is an option when in season. The animals tend to walk on the trails because it is easier, same as humans do. Assuming the virus does not get me I will plant some fruit trees.
It took us about a year of looking to find land that met our requirements at a reasonable price. It is possible to find deals but it takes a while.
We found an agent in our area that specializes in land/cabin properties. You want an agent that is willing to drive with you for an hour or more to view property, and is not afraid to help get the car un-stuck on muddy roads. The advantage of having a relationship with a buyer's agent is that you can move more quickly when a good listing comes on the market. Land with good value will not stay on the market long.
Also google earth is useful, or your county may have a GIS tool on their website you can use to view property boundaries, example: http://maps.boco.solutions/propertysearch/
