About

Chippewa National Forest, MN

Chippewa was the first national forest established east of the Mississippi River and is a Centennial Forest.  A Forest Reserve was designated in 1902 with the Morris Act but in 1908, the Minnesota National Forest Act created the Minnesota National Forest. This Forest was officially renamed Chippewa National Forest by President Calvin Coolidge in 1928.

Chippewa is managed solely by the Department of Agriculture's U.S. Forest Service.   Today there are more than 666,500 acres being managed by the U.S. Forest Service in Chippewa and over 40% of those acres overlap with the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Reservation.

The Forest, located in the heart of northern Minnesota, is a celebration of seasons, culture, and environment. This northern hardwood forest mixes between the western prairies and the northern boreal forest to the north and east. It is a Forest with shared boundaries--red oak to white pine, wild ginger to wild rice, and Canada lynx to sandhill crane. There are 1300 lakes and ponds, more than 900 miles of rivers, and 440,000 acres of wetlands with 25 watersheds.

There is also history in the Forest.  From the PaleoIndian people living along the lakeshore 10,000 years ago to the Dakota and Anishinabe people, French Voyageurs, early loggers, and the Civilian Conservation Corps.

The Forest provides an abundance of recreational opportunities with 21 developed campgrounds, 160 miles of hiking trails, 315 miles of snowmobile trails, and 280 dispersed camping sites.  Hunting, fishing, canoeing, berry-picking, birdwatching, and swimming are popular visitor activities. 

Learn more about Chippewa National Forest on their website.