Hey,
I grew up out of state and the highlight of my childhood was spending two weeks every year in the BWCA. My grandmother raised two boys cleaning fish during summers at an outpost near by. My father was a guide out of Ely in the 70s and always had things planned out. He died Fall 2016 and I haven't been to the BWCA since I was 19. I promised my dad before I got married that I'd take her on a week long canoe trip in the BWCA, his logic was sound: "You'll learn more about a person during a portage or bad weather than you will in year on the couch". While we've done many wilderness & "tourist" trips the past 18 months I'd like to keep my promise (and propose on the final night) and maybe shed some light how special this place is and how it shaped me.

I know nothing about trip planning in the BWCA. I've planned multiple multi-week canoe(green river in UT longest, 8 days everglades, etc) and climbing trips(all over). Can anyone send me some info on itinerary(6-8 days)? We're both experienced canoe-rs and spend about 3 days paddling a month. I'd like a couple of long portages. Our window is July 1-10th flying into MSP. I really don't recall any of the lakes or details from my time there.

I'll be bringing my own gear & food and have access to a canoe in the area.

First of all - Welcome to the board!
You should decide if you are going out of Ely, Gunflint or off the Echo Trail. Then get an outfitter in that area. They will rent you canoes and give you good route advice as well as planning tips.

My Ely favorites are Voyager North or Spirit of the Wilderness Outfiters.
You might also check permit availability for your dates. That could be a big factor.
Permit Reservations

If I had to choose - route I would suggest - In Mudro then north up to Friday Bay, circle east thru Thursday, Wednesday (Bays) and then south thru Horse and back to Mudro. It is about 35+ miles and some great scenery! Nice 5 day trip if you move at a somewhat casual pace. Or mor if you lay-over a couple of nights.

The first thing you need to know about planning a BW trip is that you'll need a permit to enter (specifically for you an overnight paddle permit). Permits are specific to the date and entry point (EP) and are limited in number. You are going at a busy time (holiday) and some date/entry point combinations are not available and it would be a waste of time to discuss or research them. So as GrandmaL suggested the first thing you need to do is pick an entry date and see what's available and what is isn't. Time is of the essence here at this late date. I did a quick search of available permits for July 1-4 and there are quite a few with no availability or very limited; availability is better on the eastern side - the Sawbill Trail and Gunflint Trail out of Grand Marais - than it is on the west out of Ely and the Echo Trail. Mudro for example has no availability for July 1, 2, 3.

The first thing we need is an entry date, then we can see what is available to you. Next you need to have some idea of how many days you want to travel and how far. For example you might want to travel 5 out of 7 days (1-2 weather/layover days are a good idea) and might figure you'll travel 10-12 miles a day, so a 50-60 mile route. If you plan to double portage rather than single portage, you'll need to add 2 more trips across each portage to the map mileage.

Since you would like a couple of long portages and don't seem as averse to the idea of portaging as many people, I'll make one suggestion now before more information is available: Enter at Missing Link, EP #51. You can do a couple of long portages and be on Tuscarora Lake. Or you can go from Missing Link to Snipe, then across to Tuscarora. You can go from Tuscarora to Little Saganaga, another really nice lake. You can look at this area on the Voyageur Maps . When we have more specific information we can look at the options.

You said you know nothing about trip planning in the BW, so a couple of other things for you to consider.

First, you must camp at a designated campsite. Campsites are first-come, first-served, so you don't want to be looking for one late in the day. I tell you this in case you are thinking of entering late in the day, which could be especially bad at a very busy time. And even more so at an EP where all of the permits have been reserved. It is best to enter very early in the morning and find a site by early afternoon. Traveling early also usually avoids the windiest part of the day when paddling is more difficult.

I don't know when you are flying into MSP or how you are getting to the BW from there, but it is something to consider. Will you need accommodations the night before your entry?

I don't know how much experience you have with portaging, but since you have your own gear, food, and canoe, I'm assuming you have a fairly good general idea of how much it all weighs . . . ? Then the question is, can you carry all of it in one trip without seriously increasing your risk of injury or will you want to make two trips? Can you do that for 1/2 mile, 1 mile? More?

I hope this helps to give you a framework for thinking about and planning your trip. If you have other questions, just ask.