The portage into the little pond KF talks about off of Ferguson, it was full of floating grass mats. I've moved small ones over from my canoe before, but here I discovered I could stand on the larger ones till they sank enough to paddle over them. They sink slow and rise slow too. I was coming from the river end of the portage. I believe I put way point coordinates in the portage database too. Might be a different format than MP's if that helps.

Ive only paddled the river below the lake once, in June.  I can see where it could get low in mid-summer and cause some issues.  the first obstacle is an old bridge you have to work the canoe under with a fair amount of debirs beneath it as I recall - lower water woule likely necessitat a portage there.  if I recall it correctly, the next portage indicated on the map is really just a low water level portage around a rocky area - we just paddled over the rocks. 

Another consideration, while there isn't very much current in the river in most places, low water would likely mean even less current, adding to the time it would take you.  I seem to recall about a 14 hour day from the island campsite in Cache to Kawnipi L, and that was with likely "normal" water levels for end of  may early June - the river crossing on the way to Cache L was about a 100 yard paddle when we did it, so water level was still spring flood there - in summer, that river crossing is maybe only 6 or 10 feet wide.   If you can't do the whole river in one day, you'd better make at least 3/4s of the way or so, as there are no campsites along the way - lower down, you at least have dry ground (in the area of the lower few rapids) - upper is a lot of alder swamp and the trees are a long ways from the river

I would guess that you would have problems in a low water year by mid-summer.   take 2006 for example, when the water was very low in June before the rains came, would have been a bad time to try the upper river.

Thanks, very helpful!  Looking upstream, can there be an issue with water levels on the Cache River coming down from Cache Lake?  From what I've read about the Cache Portages, it seems like the dry season might be the time to cross those.  I had never heard that water levels were an issue on the river, it looks like a pretty big stream on the map.

On the river end there was a small piece of red or orange tape on a twig 10 ft downstream of where we came out.  It was about 6 ft above the ground.  It was a soft soggy landing.
Oh I got GPS tracks.  At8:29:17 on 8/8/2008 my gps marked a position of 15 U 634254 5371841 which converts to 48.485366142 -91.1831766 which you can cut and paste into Google earth.  I think that is the point standing at the water’s edge. 
On the creek I became a real believer in a wide brimmed hat.  Deer flies do not like to get under that wide brim.

Solus wrote on Apr 6^th, 2011 at 1:43pm:


No problems paddle all the way swatting  horse and deer flies. Plenty of water.

Here is my map of the Ferguson to Cache River portage with corrections.

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Mad_Mat wrote on Apr 6^th, 2011 at 12:26pm:


Mad Mat describes one option for portaging to the little pond. It is by far the more difficult option because of the steepness of the trail both going up and down again to the pond. Just a little further west of this trail is another path that follows a seepage/drainage from the pond itself into Ferguson. It's a grassy path that can tend to disappear as the grass grows taller late in the season. This area does not get alot of use. This is nearly a flat option versus the up and over portage that MM has described. The landings at both ends were better too if I remember correctly. My partner and I (Magic Paddler) were incredulous that the steep portage, which had recently been maintained, even existed given the option that we used along the drainage. I believe this drainage is shown on the Fisher maps. The pond is very close and it really is not necessary to carry your stuff up and over. Check out the drainage about a 100 meters farther west.
On the other side of the pond there is some tag alder and soft trail that quickly gives way to a long walk through unstable sometimes flooded black spruce. Quite a few step overs but not really that difficult overall.
Finding the portage on the Cache River side would be difficult and I don't have any info that could make it easier.

Solus wrote on Apr 6^th, 2011 at 1:43pm:


From my research this does not appear to normally be an issue. (Water level wise)

Any insight on the stream between McKenzie and Ferguson?

"KF, I think I've read that that portage is hard to find on Ferguson (or maybe that it was hard to find on the river).  Any comment on that?"


Not the Kingfisher, but I can answer that


both ends are hard to find.  and it isn't all "flat" either.  It is actually two portages with a small pond in between.  The landing on Fergusson is hard to find and not where the Fisher maps show it to be.  It is farther west along the shore and starts at a smallish rock landing.  At the start, it goes almost immediately up a steep hill - up and over to a small pond - maybe a 1/4 mi to the pond, the first port isn't too long.  Paddle across to pick up the trail on the other side.  Then it is a lot of alder swamp to wade thru.  On the river end, there used to be several standing dead trees that were sawn off flat, about 6' above the water - not particularly easy to spot.

I'd agree that water level would likely be ok in August for that lower half of the river - there are about 5 or 6 portages on the way to Kawnipi from there.  That assumes an average water year.