In the early 1960s, Olga Coltman, Thea Koppe, and Bjorn Norheim made several trips from Viking Ridge over to Raven Lake via the meadows and Keeno Lake (the lake in the Viking Bowl). Keeno Lake was named by Thea Koppe, while Viking Ridge was named by Bjorn Norheim.
The Viking Ridge Trail was originally a native hunting trail that started at the mouth of the Hungary Creek’s confluence with the Fraser River. Dave King is credited with creating the modern version of this trail, rerouting it along the way towards better terrain. The last several hundred meters leading to the meadows still follow the original native hunting trail.
The meadows located after the 3 km mark are named Caribou Meadows and was where the local native tribe hunted Caribou for many years, making their way up the Fraser River from Prince George. The trail to Viking Meadows was also used by many old guide outfitters for hunting in the area.
Northwood Pulp was planning on logging much of the mountainside on Viking Ridge, but they agreed to give up those rights to the cutting blocks when it was known that the area was being considered as a BC Park.
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