The forest was named by Francis Jollie, who settled in the area in late 1853.

Jollie had named the forest after Sir Robert Peel, the British Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who had died in 1850, the year that Canterbury was founded.

[4] For his lengthy botanical study of Mount Peel, Harry Allan was awarded a Doctor of Science in 1923.

[5] The forest is also home to many birds including kererū, fantail (pīwakawaka), and tomtit (miromiro).

There are several short walks, tramps, and one longer route that leads to the summit of Little Mount Peel.