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

"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.

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.