The peak is set two kilometers east of the Continental Divide, in Castle Wildland Provincial Park.

Precipitation runoff from the mountain drains into Star and North York creeks which are tributaries of the nearby Crowsnest River.

Topographic relief is significant as the summit rises over 945 metres (3,100 ft) above the river in 5 km (3.1 mi).

McLaren and the nearest higher neighbor is Mount Parrish, 1.4 km (0.87 mi) to the southwest.

Mount McLaren is composed of limestone which is a sedimentary rock laid down during the Precambrian to Jurassic periods.