Our story
My resume is my family.
A fishcamp built by hand, by people who kept showing up, and run, from the start, on love.
Back in 1988
It started with two father-and-son teams and a couple of tents.
In 1988, we launched our first Fishcamp with eight men, and WOW, what a summer. A fire pit, a borrowed idea, and the conviction that Alaska does something to a person. A local pastor spoke around the fire. Dinner was cooked over open flame. That was the whole operation.
Nowadays, that camp is a riverfront lodge perched on the Ninilchik River, raised log by log. It took a village: countless volunteers, donations, labor, and a lot of prayer. The deck, the hot tub, the rooms with flannel sheets and a mint on the pillow, all of it built by hand, for guests we hadn't met yet.
Almost forty years later, more than 2,500 guests have come through. And a seat by the fire is still waiting for you.
In loving memory
The heart of the Fishcamp.
For as long as anyone can remember, Grandma Knepper was the soul of this place. She was the one who tucked a little scripture into the lunch boxes and sent a birthday card whether you'd asked for one or not. She made strangers feel like family before they'd set down their bags.
We lost her, and there's no replacing her. What we can do is keep her ways, the small kindnesses, the open table, the sense that you were expected and you were loved. Each summer, the grandmas who adopt our guests carry that spirit forward. It isn't the same. But it's hers, and it's still here.
From the river
Stories from the Fishcamp.
A day at camp
A Day at Fishcamp
Dawn fog on the Ninilchik to the last log on the fire, one ordinary, unforgettable day at camp.
Read it →A guest's story
A Fishcamp Story
Ashley came to Alaska on a promise to her sister, and found the start of her healing on our front porch.
Read it →The founder
Meet J Knepper
Greetings from my deckchair, the man who started the Fishcamp, in his own words.
Read it →How we got here
Our Fishcamp Story
From two father-and-son teams in tents in 1988 to a lodge on the Ninilchik River, it took a village.
Read it →Why we're here
What We Believe
The heart of why the Fishcamp exists, and an open table for whoever pulls up a deck chair.
Read it →Beyond the river
The Adventure Center
Joy will build your days around you, your pace, your budget, your kind of Alaska.
Read it →Come in a friend of the family, leave as one.
However you found us, whoever you are, the table is open.