[1][2] It is located in the province of Yukon, in the western part of the country, 4,100 km west of the capital Ottawa.

It was named after Charles Thomas Atherton,[5] who succeeded Deacon Phelps as a member of the Yukon Territorial Council, representing Whitehorse from 1934 to 1937.

[7] It has an area of 6224 km2 and is a subrange of the Pelly Mountains which in turn form part of the Yukon Ranges.

[8] Bivouac, the Canadian Mountain Encyclopedia refers to Mount Atherton being 1905m (6250 feet) with a prominence of 550m.

The highest point nearby is 2,130 metres above sea level, 8.8 km east of Mount Atherton.