At 603 metres high, it is the joint third highest peak in Devon and Dartmoor, together with Cut Hill, which lies around 4 kilometres to the southwest.

The hill lies within the military training area on Dartmoor and is not accessible to the public except at certain times.

There is a military road to the summit, which is marked by an Army observation post and flagpole.

On clear days, the views are "superb",[2] extending to Exmoor, the Quantocks, the River Teign estuary, and many of Dartmoor's peaks.

[3] Hangingstone is one of Dartmoor's thirteen Deweys and the tenth highest in England.