The forest is found in the Ridge-and-Valley Appalachians of south-central Pennsylvania and comprises 71,683 acres (29,009 ha) divided into several units located in Bedford, Fulton, and Franklin Counties.

The sparks of passing steam locomotives ignited wildfires that prevented the formation of second growth forests.

The Pennsylvania General Assembly passed a piece of legislation in 1897 that authorized the purchase of "unseated lands for forest reservations."

Forbes built his road from Carlisle to Pittsburgh as a supply line for the British soldiers that were trying to capture Fort Duquesne.

Remnants of the road are still visible in the state forest and are used by visiting hunters, hikers and mountain bikers.

British Major John Cowan and his wife Mary who migrated to the area just after the American Revolution.

These lumber companies left behind a "barren wasteland" of stumps and drying treetops that were vulnerable to fire.

It was meant to carry water from Woodridge Run beneath the South Penn Railroad that was being built across the northern portions of Fulton County through tunnels in Sideling and Rays Hills.

The project was never completed, but much of the land cleared and the tunnels built by the railroad company was later used by the Pennsylvania Turnpike.