The park covers several counties in the states of Arkansas and Oklahoma. It consists of lakes, hardwood and pine forests, and clear running streams passing through valleys, with mountain ranges towering overhead. The forest is home to a wetland preserve, the Red Slough Wildlife Management Area, which in turn houses bottomland hardwood tree stands and a variety of bird species, including but not limited to waterfowl.

The park was first established in December 1907 by President Theodore Roosevelt as Arkansas National Forest; its name was changed to Ouachita National Forest in 1926. These mountains were first explored by the Spanish in 1541 and later by French explorers who named several of the park's resources. The name “Ouachita” is the French adaptation of “Washita,” an Indian word that translates to “good hunting grounds.” The Ouachita Mountain Range is also geologically important as it is the only mountain range that runs east to west rather than north to south.