A small lake between Lake Te Anau and Milford Sound / Piopiotahi, it lies close to the New Zealand State Highway 94 (the Milford Road) and the Divide of the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana.

The small tramping camp of Cascade Creek lies close to the lake's southern end.

Several mountains stand close to the lake's western shore, notably Melita Peak (1680 m) and the former Consolation Peak (1760 m)[1] which in December 2012 was nominated to be named after Author JRR Tolkien to the New Zealand Geographic Board to mark two historic events.

"The Divide", the saddle between the valleys of the Eglinton and Hollyford Rivers, lies four kilometres north of the lake.

Mount Gondor was subsequently omitted from Land Information New Zealand maps from 1980 onwards[3]