Kaimanawa is a rugged mountain landscape of north–south ridges and deep river valleys, forming the headwaters of major rivers including the Mohaka and Rangitīkei. Extensive beech forests dominate the slopes, with podocarps in sheltered valleys and alpine scrub and tussock on the open tops. Though logging, grazing and exotic forestry have altered some areas, much of the forest remains intact, giving the district a wild, distinctive character shaped by its ridges, rivers and sweeping views.