Mount Philipps is situated above Milford Sound in the Southland Region of the 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's north slope drains to Milford Sound via Sinbad Gully, and the south slope drains into Camp Oven Creek → Arthur River → Milford Sound.

[2] The mountain's toponym was applied by Captain John Lort Stokes of the HMS Acheron while charting the coast of New Zealand between 1848–1851 to honour his first Lieutenant, Griffith Grismond Philipps (1811–1891).

The months of December through February offer the most favourable weather for viewing or climbing this peak.