With an area of 6,289,821 acres (25,454.00 km2), it is the largest U.S. National Forest reservation outside of Alaska, further northwest on the North American continent.

He served in the White House 1953-1961, when the older Nevada National Forest was dissolved and its lands divided between Humboldt and Toiyabe reserves.

[4] HTNF is unlike most other national forests as it contains numerous non-contiguous sections scattered across most of the state of Nevada and a portion of adjacent eastern California to the west.

The section of the national forest is named after Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859), a famous early / mid-19th century Prussian / German multi-talented scientist and philosopher.

Born and raised / educated in Europe, although he traveled extensively in the Americas / Western Hemisphere in 1799-1804, exploring and doing various fields of scientific research.