It is at the southeastern foot of the mountain group known as the Golden Ears and is about 16 km in length on a northeast–southwest axis.

A small portion of the lake and its largely inaccessible northwestern shore, near its narrows, are actually part of the District of Mission due to the rectangular shape of that district's boundary.

North of the portion of the lake that is in Mission, the rest of its northern end is not in either municipality.

At the end of the tunnel is a penstock which feeds the small Alouette Powerhouse, an 8 MW power station operated by BC Hydro, which lies midway along the west shore of Stave Lake.49°22′16″N 122°18′47″W / 49.37111°N 122.31306°W / 49.37111; -122.31306 (Alouette Power Station) There is no powerhouse at the dam, however, as the point of the reservoir is to feed the tunnel through the flank of the ridge between Mounts Crickmer and Robie Reid.

A large public beach, picnic site and campground that are part of the provincial park are located on the lake's western shore.