It is located on a sloping site close to Lovelock Avenue on a spur of Signal Hill close to the Dunedin Botanic Gardens and the suburb of Ōpoho, overlooking Dunedin North and Logan Park.
Unlike many cemeteries of its age, Dunedin Northern Cemetery is not divided by denomination, and with its landscapes and wooded slopes remains an important part of the city's Victorian landscape.
The cemetery contains many notable graves and tombs, most prominently the mausoleum of William Larnach, designed by R.A. Lawson as a miniature replica of First Church.
Other notable burials and interments include Thomas Bracken and Vincent Pyke.
A commemorative lookout, the Bracken Lookout, is located at the southern end of the cemetery, and commands views across Logan Park, the University of Otago and central city.