Chippewa National Forest

Established in 1908 as the first national forest east of the Mississippi River, Chippewa National Forest encompasses over 666,000 acres of north-central Minnesota's lake country, containing the headwaters of the Mississippi River at Lake Itasca and more than 1,300 lakes within its boundaries. The forest supports the largest breeding population of bald eagles in the contiguous United States, with over 200 active nests, and provides essential habitat for common loons, ospreys, black bears, white-tailed deer, and timber wolves.\n\nThe forest's waters are legendary for walleye fishing, with Cass Lake, Leech Lake, and Winnibigoshish among the most productive walleye lakes in Minnesota. Wild rice beds in the forest's shallow lakes and river margins remain a culturally vital resource for the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, whose reservation overlaps significantly with the forest. The Chippewa's landscape of red and white pine forests, aspen-birch stands, and extensive wetlands reflects both its glacial heritage and its recovery from the intensive logging era of the late 1800s. Today, the Cut Foot Sioux National Recreation Trail and numerous other paths offer hiking, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing through this storied northern Minnesota landscape.