Mount Eglinton is part of the Earl Mountains,[3] and is situated in the Southland Region of South Island.

It is set within Fiordland National Park which is part of the Te Wahipounamu UNESCO World Heritage Site.

[2] Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains west to Lake Te Anau and east into the Eglinton River.

Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises 1,410 metres (4,626 feet) above the Eglinton Valley in two kilometres.

The mountain was named in 1861 or 1862 by surveyor James McKerrow to honour Archibald Montgomerie, 13th Earl of Eglinton (1812–1861), a British Conservative politician and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland.