Cache Lake
This is the most accessible in this chain of six lakes. A liftover will get you into Cache Lake from Lake Insula. The forest surrounding Cache Lake was only lightly damaged by the 1999 Independence Day windstorm.
This area of the BWCAW was burned by a fire that scorched the forest between Muzzle Lake and Kiana Lake in 1903.
The forest fires of 1885-1889 affected the area from Fire Lake up to Disappointment Lake, just to the west of Cache Lake, Fast Lake and Jut Lake.
Approach to Cache Lake
Enter the lake from the northwest end of Lake Insula by locating an obvious creek mouth. During really low water levels, there is a 30 rod portage along the right side of the channel starting from Lake Insula.
Bushwhack to Cache Lake
One of the most straightforward bushwhacks. Paddle perhaps 5 rods up the channel and do a liftover (no need to empty the canoe) into Cache Lake. (If water is really low, there is a portage of 30 rods along the right side of the channel connecting Cache Lake and Lake Insula.
Exploring Cache Lake
Cache Lake is relatively shallow. It had a maintained campsite at one time on its southwest shoreline. This campsite still appears on the 2010 McKenzie #19 map. Lake Insula also has over 40 campsites so you should have no trouble finding a place to hang your food pack. Also, many of Insula's campsites have sandy beaches. The north end of Cache Lake is a massive peat bog and lily pad breeding ground. Through this vegetative mass, a creek can be found winding its way to the northeast. This little creek flows out of Fast Lake.
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