Leominster State Forest, a 4,500-acre parcel of forested land managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), was once home to Native Americans who used the ledges at Crow Hill for shelter and signaling.

Through a series of grants to heirs of soldiers killed in the French and Indian Wars, the land was eventually incorporated in 1838 into the abutting five towns comprising its current location. From 1932 to 1938 the Civilian Conservation Corps worked in the forest developing the Crow Hill area, constructing a network of roads.

The forest is a popular destination for year-round outdoor recreational. Visitors can enjoy hiking, rock climbing, mountain biking, swimming, canoeing, and fishing in the summer and cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing in winter. A particularly scenic segment of the 95-mile Midstate Trail traverses the Crow Hills twin summits.

A wide variety of wild flora and fauna draw nature lovers to the forest. Stone walls, cellar holes, and fruit trees dot the forest trails. A park interpreter conducts a variety of interpretive programs from Memorial Day to Labor Day.