Forbes State Forest was named for Gen. John Forbes, who, in 1758, ordered the construction of a road from Bedford to Fort Pitt for the British Army’s attack on Fort Duquesne. The forest comprises 15 tracts totaling almost 59,000 acres in Fayette, Somerset, and Westmoreland counties.

Forbes spreads across the high ridges of the Laurel Highlands, including Mount Davis (3213 feet), the highest point in Pennsylvania.