The lake is located along the West Branch Little Spokane River as it flows south through the foothills of the Selkirk Mountains.

For centuries prior to the arrival of European settlers, Eloika Lake and the waterways which connect it to other bodies of water, had been traditional fishing grounds for indigenous populations like the Spokane people.

Those studies determined that the eutrophication in the lake was due in part to its shallow depth and exacerbated by decaying organic material from the historic logging activity.

Studies have continued in the decades since looking into the previous issues as well as maintaining water flow rates downstream of the lake during all four seasons.

[8] The terrain upstream of the lake becomes more mountainous, with peaks rising to over 2,960 feet above sea level just beyond the Stevens County line.