The Sawtooth National Forest is a federally protected area that spans across Idaho and Utah, with the majority of its land in Idaho. Established on May 29, 1905, it covers over two million acres featuring rugged mountains, serene lakes, and diverse ecosystems.

One main feature of this forest is the Sawtooth Range within the larger Rocky Mountains region; however most iconic parts including these are located in Idaho rather than Utah. The landscape offers outdoor activities such as hiking trails through dense forests to alpine meadows or fishing in crystal-clear streams.

In addition to recreation opportunities like camping and wildlife viewing for species unique to this high-elevation habitat.

The Sawtooth National Forest, located in central Idaho, is characterized by its rugged and diverse landscape that spans over 2.1 million acres of wilderness. The area boasts more than 40 peaks rising above 10,000 feet within the Sawtooth Range-a subset of the Rocky Mountains-creating a dramatic skyline dominated by jagged granite spires and ridges from which it derives its name. This topography includes deep valleys carved out by glaciers and rivers such as the Salmon River (known as "the river of no return"), dense forests composed primarily of conifers like Douglas fir and lodgepole pine, alpine meadows sprinkled with wildflowers during springtime bloom periods, numerous crystal-clear mountain lakes including Redfish Lake known for their scenic beauty; all contributing to an ecosystem rich in biodiversity supporting wildlife species ranging from black bears to bald eagles.

Established on May 29, 1905, the federally managed area in question spans across Idaho and Utah. Initially inhabited by Native American tribes such as Shoshone and Bannock peoples, European settlers later used these lands for mining, ranching, and logging.

Prior to federal designation as a national forest under President Theodore Roosevelt's administration through the Forest Reserve Act of 1891 which allowed presidents to set aside forest reserves from land in public domain. The region saw significant resource extraction activities including gold prospecting during an extension of frontier-era mineral rushes.

The landscape is characterized by its rugged mountains with over fifty peaks exceeding ten thousand feet elevation; it also includes more than one thousand lakes that were shaped by glacial activity thousands of years ago. Historical features within include remnants of early mining operations like ghost towns along with trails originally created or utilized by indigenous populations before Euro-American settlement patterns emerged.