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northward.NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA
Hikes · Upper Fraser & Sugarbowl · East / Sugarbowl-Grizzly Den

Viking Lake

The Viking approach climbs through forest and the wet Caribou Meadows before reaching a small lake below the summit. This outing turns at the lake and returns by the same trail.

Sources reviewed . This is a research date, not a trail inspection.

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The locations GPX contains sourced points with their recorded roles. It contains no trail track or connecting route.

Distance
11 kmRound trip
Elevation gain
Not establishedThe source lists 869 m with the outward route. Any climbing on the return is not established; this is not a verified complete-return total.
Walking time
Not published
Difficulty
Not ratedOut and back

one way, February 2002 park brochure The round-trip distance is calculated from the published one-way length.

Map & elevation

Opening the map…

Elevation profile

A full-route elevation profile is not available yet.

A reusable trail line has not yet been verified for this outing. Any location pin shows the published location described above; it does not draw the hike or establish a navigable approach.

Original map 1 (opens original source) · Original map 2 (opens original source)

Getting there & parking

Follow Highway 16 east from Prince George to the Viking Ridge access, about 5 km beyond the Sugarbowl trailhead. The park brochure places the parking area on the north side of the highway and the trail sign at the highway cutbank. Identify the signed trail and take care at the highway crossing; this is separate from the Sugarbowl parking lot and the Hungary Creek road.

Estimated drive from Prince George: 1 hr 9 min · 86.3 km. Modeled one-way driving time from Prince George City Hall, using mapped road speeds. Forest-road sections can take substantially longer: surface, clearance, radio procedures, gates, washouts, plowing, and legal access are not verified by the router. No live traffic or invented forest-road multiplier is included. Allow extra time and check the dated access notes.

Open driving directions →

Map position: 53.87144, -121.58033 · trailhead. Converted from official degrees-decimal-minutes; datum unstated; not field-verified

On the trail

  1. Climb the northwest side of Viking Ridge to Caribou Meadows.

  2. For the lake outing, continue above the meadows to the small lake; the full ridge outing climbs farther to the summit.

  3. Turn at the destination chosen for your trip. The rough connection to Sugarbowl is a separate traverse.

Full route notes

Climb the northwest side of Viking Ridge through forest to Caribou Meadows. A plankway has been built through wet parts of the meadows, with work reported from 2020 onward. Continue from the meadow through the upper trail to the small lake, then return by the same route. This option stops before the summit slope. The 2002 park brochure places the lake around 5.5 km from the trailhead, while the present club description identifies roughly 855 m of gain to the lake. The trail beyond the meadows is described as rougher than the lower approach.

The way back

Retrace the same approach to the Viking Ridge highway start. Do not descend the Sugarbowl connector unless a traverse and transport between the two trailheads have been planned.

Conditions & seasons

The higher slopes can retain snow after the lower forest is clear. Snow on the slope beyond the lake may be hard and icy, and winter travel adds avalanche exposure. Use a separately assessed snow route rather than assuming the summer summit approach is suitable in winter.

Winter route

Winter use crosses avalanche terrain. Snow can hide surface fissures deeper than 3 m; the summer trail line is not a winter safety assessment.

These are dated research notes. Open the trip planner for current available weather and advisory feeds; no alert found does not establish that a trail or road is open.

Check weather & available updates →

Camping & overnight plans

Wild tenting is permitted throughout Sugarbowl–Grizzly Den Park. Designated camps are at Raven Lake and Grizzly Den, reached by different approaches from this hike. Open fires are prohibited; cabin stays require separate reservations.

Photos of Viking Lake

A photograph with confirmed reuse permission has not yet been added to this guide.

Original photo galleries

These galleries stay on their photographers’ original websites.

Take this guide with you

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Full trip packDirections, planning notes & available mapsTopographic mapPublished locations; no trail lineSave offline guideDownload a copy to your device
Sources, dates & research notes

Descriptions are written for this guide from the linked evidence. Source review dates, published reports and field observations can differ. Photographs and route lines retain their own attribution and reuse terms.

  1. https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/sugarbowl_grizzlyden_brochure_53146eed08.pdf (opens original source)
  2. https://bcparks.ca/sugarbowl-grizzly-den-park/ (opens original source)
  3. https://nrs.objectstore.gov.bc.ca/kuwyyf/sugarbowl_grizzlyden_waypoints_c18ea15d07.pdf (opens original source)
  4. https://routing.openstreetmap.de/about.html (opens original source)
  5. https://caledoniaramblers.ca/trails/viking-ridge (opens original source)
  6. https://caledoniaramblers.ca/gallery/viking-ridge-8 (opens original source)
Details still being researched
  • These endpoint metrics are from the 2002 brochure; current route changes may alter the measured distance.

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