I haven't been in this area before, either, but my wife and I were planning a very similar trip. Over 6 days it would be an average of 4 hours of paddling a day. Figure in a layover day, and it is almost 5 hours a day on the rest of the days. 2 layover days makes it 6 hours a day. To me it looks doable with a few caveats.

The way the lakes in this area are situated (west to east) make them very prone to wind. You may be windbound for a couple of days, especially as you make the turn to go west again.

I heard from Bearskin Outfitters that the portage from Moon to Flour is hard to find and in bad shape. It isn't maintained because it isn't an official Forest Service portage. An alternative would be to start your trip at the boat ramp at the east end of West Bearskin. You can finish your trip at the west end of Clearwater and then someone just walks a mile to go pick up the vehicle. No need to portage the gear.

I've never heard anything about the portages between Mountain and Moose, so I can't help you there.

Originally Posted by: 01richwood

Thanks Ben, I'll look into that. Our permit is for West Bearskin. If there is leeway on where we can enter Bearskin at your idea sound like a better plan.

Your permit is probably for Daniels Lake, not West Bearskin. West Bearskin is outside the Boundary Waters, so however you get to the Daniels Lake portage is up to you. This isn't the only entry point like this - Crab Lake (EP #4) comes to mind. You paddle across Burntside (outside the BWCA) to get to the portage that is actually the entry point. How you get to the portage or where you start doesn't matter.

Originally Posted by: Ben Strege

I should probably move one of the markers to the eastern access to show it can be used. It also looks like I have the markers in the wrong spot anyway, so I need to move them.

I fixed the map and showed the entry points in different spots. However, you can use either place to access the Duncan and Daniels entry points.

Here is the alternative loop starting at the east end of West Bearskin and ending at the west end of Clearwater - West Bearskin to Clearwater Loop

Edited by user Wednesday, June 3, 2015 1:45:09 PM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

Originally Posted by: TuscaroraBorealis

We did a trip through Daniel's a couple of years ago. Here's a link to the trip report. http://www.bwca.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=trip.report_view&sel_trp_id=3627

Hope it helps.

Thanks so much! There's some helpful info in your trip report for sure. I will look at your report in more detail when I have the time.