The 670-hectare (1,700-acre) national park is situated about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north-west of the Sydney central business district and features various vegetation types, such as, wet and dry sclerophyll forest, heathland, mangroves and tidal flats.

The park consists of land near the banks of the Lane Cove River, which flows generally south-east into Sydney Harbour.

A weir was constructed in the 1930s[1] near Fullers Bridge which converted the middle section of the river from tidal salt-water to a fresh-water area with constant water level suitable for recreational use in rowing boats and canoes.

Friends Of Lane Cove National ParkV was formed after the 1994 bushfires and runs volunteer bushcare groups through the park areas.

The park is home to a variety of native bird species, including brushturkeys, kookaburras, superb fairywrens, crimson rosellas, sulphur-crested cockatoos, rainbow lorikeets, and eastern whipbirds.

The park's position in the middle of a major metropolis necessitates compromises between the social desire for maintaining a pristine environment, and the need for urban development.