Kaniksu National Forest spans northeastern Washington, the Idaho Panhandle, and northwestern Montana, with most of its 1,627,833 acres in Idaho. Established on July 1, 1908, from part of the former Priest River National Forest, it later expanded with additions from Pend Oreille National Forest in 1933 and Cabinet National Forest in 1954. In 1973 it was administratively combined with Coeur d'Alene and St. Joe as part of the Idaho Panhandle National Forests, while retaining its own name. Derived from a Kalispel word meaning black robe, its name reflects Jesuit missionary influence as well as the region’s geography, and parts of two federally designated wilderness areas lie within it.