Led by Maria Sanford and Florence Bramhall of the Federation of Minnesota Women's Clubs, conservation activism beginning in 1900 brought the forest and potential threats to wide public attention.

Subsequent boundary expansions and land purchases increased the area of the forest to its present size.

Water is abundant, with over 1,300 lakes, 923 miles (1,485  km) of rivers and streams and 400,000 acres (1,600 km2) of wetlands.

[7] Inside the forest the Cut Foot Sioux Trail runs along the Laurentian Divide.

Aspen, birch, pine, balsam fir, and maple blanket the forest.

The bald eagle population of the Chippewa National Forest is one of the highest densities in the lower 48 states at 150 nesting pairs.