It is located southeast of Lakeview in south-central Oregon, near the northwest corner of the Basin and Range Province of the western United States.

There was a United States Forest Service fire lookout located near the summit which was removed in 1972.

[5][6][7][8] Crane Mountain is a fault-block geologic structure typical of southeast Oregon's basin and range country.

The mountain has a west-facing fault scarp with a steep cliff face overlooking the Goose Lake Valley.

Small amounts of gold bearing quartz are also found on the southern slope of the mountain.

The pine and fir forests of the Warner range extend north and south from Crane Mountain.

The mountain meadows have quaking aspen with wild flowers in the late spring and early summer.

Larger mammals found in the area include mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk, coyotes, bobcats, and cougars.

[5][6][15] Forest birds common to the Crane Mountain area include pygmy nuthatch, juniper titmouse, mountain chickadee, blue-gray gnatcatcher, Cassin's vireo, plumbeous vireo, American dusky flycatcher, Hammond's flycatcher, olive-sided flycatcher, Vaux's swift, hermit thrush, Bullock's oriole, Woodhouse's scrub jay, Steller's jay, Clark's nutcracker, and black-billed magpie.

[5][15][16] In the summer of 1867, Archie McIntosh, chief Army scout for Colonel George Crook, led a group 18 of Warm Springs or Shoshone scouts on a reconnaissance patrol from Old Camp Warner south toward the Surprise Valley looking for a Paiute raiding party led by Chief Ocheho.

As the patrol moved south, they picked up a fresh trail heading west into the Warner Mountains.

As the patrol followed the trail up the east slope of Crane Mountain, the Paiutes ambushed McIntosh and his scouts.

After some skirmishing, the Paiutes charged the scouts' position, but were repelled with a loss of three dead and several more wounded.

A few days later, Colonel Crook led 360 soldiers and scouts through the Goose Lake Valley looking for the Paiutes that McIntosh had encountered.

[17] After the army drove the native people out of the area, settlers began to populate the Goose Lake Valley west of Crane Mountain.

[13][18] Cogswell Creek was also named for an early pioneer who settled near Goose Lake, just west Crane Mountain.

It replaced an older lookout located at Willow Point, approximately 1.3 miles (2.1 km) northeast of Crane Mountain summit.

As a result, visitors enjoying winter activities need to check weather forecasts before setting out on any of the Crane Mountain trails.

[5][22][23][26] From the old lookout site near the summit of Crane Mountain, visitors have an excellent view of the Goose Lake Valley to the west as well as a number of Warner range peaks to the north and south.