There are local ranger district offices in Bessemer, Iron River, Kenton, Ontonagon, and Watersmeet.

That honor belongs to an unnamed 1,900-foot (580 m) hill north of Lac Vieux Desert in southeastern Gogebic County.

In many of the summer months, moist air carried by southerly winds from the faraway Gulf does not fall below the dew point in temperature until it enters the Lake Superior basin.

The glaciers of various Ice Ages, including the most recent Wisconsonian glaciation, scraped much of the forested area down to bare rock or sand.

As a result of the construction of the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway in 1892–1894, the forest was opened to logging.

During the years after World War II, growing automobile tourism made it possible for a wider variety of people to visit the forest.

Opened in 1971, the Ottawa Visitor Center offers interpretive programs and exhibits about the natural history and resources of the Forest.