[2] The lake, oriented in the Dinaric direction from north-west to south-east, is present for the most part of the year.

The plain is surrounded by the Javornik Hills (1,268 metres or 4,160 feet) to the south and Slivnica (1,022 m or 3,353 ft) to the north, both belonging to Dinaric Alps.

In the summer, when the rainfall is slight, the lake is completely drained into the reservoirs lying below its level, and its bed is speedily covered with rich vegetation.

[7] Strabo in his Geography mentions a "marsh called Lugeon" (helos Lougeon kaloumenon) which has been identified with Lake Cerknica,[8] Lougeon being Strabo's Greek rendition of a local toponym, perhaps of Illyrian origin.

[11][12] The first to accurately describe the functioning of Lake Cerknica was Tobias Gruber in 1781,[13] followed in 1784 by Belsazar Hacquet.