The lake is situated at 2270 metres above the Adriatic (7,450 ft) in the Ankogel Group of the High Tauern range, part of the Central Eastern Alps.

It marks the head of the narrow Dösen Valley, stretching about 7 km (4.3 mi) up from Mallnitz in the west.

Even in summer, the surface temperature never exceeds 7 °C (45 °F); the lake is covered by ice up to three quarters of a year.

In Dösener See, Arctic char are found as well as plankton species like rotifer and green algae.

A large rock glacier (Blockgletscher) is located east of Dösener See, with a permafrost depth of up to 40 metres (130 ft).