I've never been to this area, any input would be appreciated.

First of all, Welcome to the boards!
You might plan to check-out Johnson Falls over between Pine and Canoe Lakes. - If you go in Duncan, you would go down the stairway portage past Rose Falls - but havethe longer portage. Super nice area with some high rocky bluffs. Portages can be somewhat challenging - depending on your route choices.

Welcome to bwca.com!

Here is an option for a trip starting at Daniels Lake.

North end of Daniels meets up with the Border Route trail - Day trips west to Rose / Stairway Falls and east to a very nice overlook:

Thanks everyone for the advice these are great ideas..

Every site on Duncan will likely fill up very fast. Well, one may not... haha. Memorial weekend on a busy put in like that will likely fill up Friday if not before. Some may move on. But many people go just inside the BW borders and sit. I'd get an early start wharever day and get in there either direction. Lots of these "squatters" (haha) seem to have this an annual deal. So they know they need to get in there. I've seen people come in another lake like that on the Friday as I'm paddling through and out. They are going loaded to campsites that misteriously had a tent set up for them. Haha. On those times I don't even concider a lake that close to a put in. But I used to go the direction towards Johnson falls years ago and we always had a good time. Mid August on Duncan 2012, it was full except for one very undesirable campsite, it was a Thursday and very noisy. Harmonicas everywhere, haha. No, lots of little kids though with parents always yelling at them.

Thanks,
I appreciate the heads up, I have no interest in that kind of trip, we are going to try Daniels and hopefully get better results...

SNF has some prescribed burning planned for that area - not sure when (may have already occurred), but you might want to check with the ranger station if this matters to you.

The area around Duncan got hit pretty hard by wind damage last summer.

SNF prescribed fire plans, 2017

Wow. I took a look at the map showing the large prescribed burn planned for around Duncan and Daniels and south of Rose and my heart sank a bit. With a trip planned in mid-June from Hungry Jack up to the Rose Cliffs, the narrative that accompanies those maps regarding burns "...this spring between April 5 and June 15 and in the fall between October 1 and November 15..." jumped out at me enough to place a call.

I had a very nice (and long and detailed) conversation with SNF Fuels Specialist Wendy McCartney (pretty sure on that last name). She assured me that the Duncan Burn would not take place until fall, similar to most done within the wilderness boundary. I learned a lot about their goals for the targeted area: reducing dead fuel from last summer's blowdown (especially the very volatile balsam fir), prepping the soil for improved pine growth through heat-opened cones and reduction of clutter on the forest floor, creating more open areas to promote wildlife habitat, etc.

She mentioned that, yes, visitors in 2018 would see some blackened areas but that the overstory would be preserved in a way that would certainly not survive a crowning wildfire in the area... something that seems inevitable, given the blowdown composition present.

quote Lahey: "Thanks,
I appreciate the heads up, I have no interest in that kind of trip, we are going to try Daniels and hopefully get better results..."

So, you are planning on base camping I take it? Well, good luck... I hope it's better... I think there is a small piece of Daniels not in the boundaries of the park. If I recall from years ago there was a couple cabins about there. If you portage north, it would be a little difficult... but you could head to Rose and back through Duncan to your vehicle.

quote nctry:"...I think there is a small piece of Daniels not in the boundaries of the park. If I recall from years ago there was a couple cabins about there..."

Perhaps you're thinking of Clearwater. Daniels is entirely within the wilderness boundary.