Est. 1974
Our Story
How two 22-year-olds from New York drove to Alaska, fell in love with a fishing town, and built a campground that's been family-owned for over 50 years.
Where the land ends and the sea begins
A love letter to
the end of the road.
New York → Alaska, 1973
The Drive That Changed Everything
John and Peggy Chapple were 22 years old when they packed up their lives, said goodbye to their families in New York, and drove to Alaska. They had no business plan, no campground experience — just the kind of reckless courage that only comes at 22.
A Fateful Encounter
Homer Wasn't the Plan
They ended up in Homer after a fateful encounter with a local who recommended the small fishing town — and changed the course of the Chapples' Alaskan adventure. Something about the bay, the mountains, and the four-mile spit of gravel reaching out into the Pacific told them they'd found their place.
Winter 1973
From Guests to Owners
Originally guests at the campground themselves, John and Peggy bought the business in the winter of 1973. They didn't just buy a property — they inherited a community. Fishermen, travelers, dreamers, families on the road trip of a lifetime — the Spit drew all of them, and the Chapples became their hosts.
Four Generations
A Family Business, Still
With four generations of Chapple relatives working in the office over the years, the Homer Spit Campground has remained family-owned and operated since it opened. No corporate management. No absentee owners. Just a family that showed up in '73 and never left.
"We didn't build a campground. We just kept the gates open and let the Spit do the rest."
1974
Year established
50+
Years family-owned
120+
Waterfront sites
4
Generations of Chapples
The Eagle Lady
One of the campground's most famous residents was Jean Keene — a rodeo queen from Minnesota who fed over 200 eagles from her campground home for 30 years. Her legacy lives on in two memorial sites.
Read Jean's storyCome be part of the story.
Fifty years of sunsets, tides, and campfires — and the best is still ahead. Book your site and see what the Chapples fell in love with.
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