It is one of the most popular areas for climbing in Peru, including the so famous The Sphinx 5,325 m (17,470 ft), a granite monolith, offering at least 13 big wall routes.

The lake, formed as a natural moraine reservoir, has a catchment area of 44.3 km2 (17.1 sq mi), it is 3.7 km (2.3 mi) long (E-W) and average of 700 m (2,300 ft) width (N-S), the original depth was about 75 m (246 ft), but today the level has been lowered ca.

The water from the lake was formerly used for the Cañón del Pato hydroelectric scheme, since 29 July 2008, this usage has ceased.

The high concentrations of dissolved lime give the water of Lake Parón a turquoise color.

It is a popular day hike for those willing to acclimatize or even ride a mountain bike downhill (note: there's almost a 2,000 m (6,600 ft) drop to Caraz).