It is named for François Payette (1793-18xx), a French-Canadian fur trapper and later the manager of Fort Boise for the Hudson's Bay Company from 1835-1844.

He was one of the first white men to settle in the area, venturing east from Astoria, Oregon in 1818.

The Payette National Forest is located above the Idaho Batholith, the largest granitic body of rock in the United States.

Glacial activity as recently as 15,000 years ago also shaped the character of the forest providing lakes and granite outcrops.

Streams and lakes drain into two of Idaho's major rivers, the Salmon or the Snake.