Formed upon the merger of the Wallowa and Whitman national forests in 1954, it is located in the northeastern corner of Oregon, in Wallowa, Baker, Union, Grant, and Umatilla counties, and includes small areas in Nez Perce and Idaho counties in Idaho.

[3][4] The forest is named for the Wallowa band of the Nez Perce people, who originally lived in the area, and Marcus and Narcissa Whitman, Presbyterian missionaries who settled just to the north in 1836.

The alpine area in the heart of the mountain range is designated as the Eagle Cap Wilderness.

This area includes the upper reaches of the John Day and Grande Ronde rivers.

The North Fork John Day and Monument Rock wildernesses are jointly managed by the adjacent national forests.

[8] Wildlife habitat is affected by logging and grazing, but significant stands of old-growth forest have survived.

[16] Smaller mammals include the pika, marten, badger, mink, beaver, river otter, and marmot.

Bird species include the peregrine falcon, bald eagle, golden eagle, ferruginous hawk, goshawk, gray-crowned rosy finch, chukar partridge, pileated woodpecker, American dipper, and great gray owl.

[12][13][14][15] Plant communities range from low-elevation grasslands and ponderosa pine forest to alpine meadows.

Wildflowers include clarkia, Indian paintbrush, sego lily, elephanthead, larkspur, shooting star, and bluebell.

Rocky bluffs in the Hells Canyon area support prickly pear cactus and poison ivy.

The native people hunted deer, elk and bighorn sheep in the Wallowa Valley and surrounding mountains.

[18][21] The Wallowa Mountains Visitor Center and district office for the national forest, a 20,500-square-foot (1,900 m2) log building in Enterprise, burned to the ground on July 11, 2010.

The national forest has seven areas where visitors can enjoy swimming, power boating, rafting, canoeing, and kayaking.