Methuen Lake is a small, round lake, north of Havelock. Take County Road 46 (turn north at the one set of lights in Havelock) for 20 minutes until you reach the SECOND sign for Sandy Lake Road. Turn on to Sandy Lake Road, but only for 10 seconds because you need to turn left on to Fire Route 84. I have given you co-ordinates for the "road" to the beach/boat launch. That "road" or path is only 150 metres and you might choose to portage it instead of risking driving it. If you have a 4 x 4 truck or Jeep, you should be fine driving to the water's edge. Otherwise, you might have to be creative in finding a place in the long grass and rocks to park your car. You will struggle with this part of the adventure if you come as a large group with more than one or two vehicles. Good luck.
Please note that Fire Route 84, though driveable, is narrow (with steep ditches) and gravel. My advice is to drive in the middle slowly. Lay on your horn on every twist and turn in case someone is barreling down the road on an ATV from their cottage.
* Cell phone coverage ! You might have no service in places on the lake and on the roads north of Havelock.
Once on the lake, you will enjoy the natural beauty of another northern lake in cottage country. This lake has quite a few cottagers, but they are friendly, and there is enough untouched land so that you can still feel you are in the wilderness.
For a picnic lunch,, I suggest you walk past "Iris Cove Keychain Cache", an older geocache, east to the large outcrop of rock and sit where you can see the whole lake. Bring some sandwiches.
The beach/boat launch is sandy and nice for swimming. There are other places around the lake where you may want to swim, as there are a few sandy places near the shoreline that appear later in the summer when the water levels drop. One of the really nice things about April and May, and possibly early June, is that you can explore the river near the last cache. It's a one kilometre meandering piece of paradise. In summer and fall, the river will be too shallow or full of lily pads. But if the water levels are high, I recommend a paddle down the river.
If any of our containers are missing, please contact us right away so we can fix the situation.
As with all our water caches, please stay safe and have fun. Check wind speeds before you go. Wind over 15 kms is not pleasant. Calm waters make for calm spirits. Early morning, between 5 am and 7 am is really the best time to be on any body of water. In the winter, this lake freezes. Take all precautions and talk to local snowmobilers to find out the thickness of the ice before you venture out. Chances are, if you see snowmobile tracks all over the lake - it's safe to walk on the lake. Driving to the parking might be another story! If there's a lot of snow, forget it. The likelihood of the Fire Routes being plowed is negligible.