Rounded mountains with elevations up to 8,000 ft (2,400 m) above sea level and deep, narrow valleys are characteristic of the region.

BC Geographical Names, a service of the British Columbia Integrated Land Management Bureau, defines the Okanagan Highland as an area extending southward from the Shuswap River and the Coldstream Valley, east of Vernon, British Columbia, for 85 miles to the 49th parallel and into the State of Washington, lying between the Monashee Mountains on the east, and the Thompson Plateau and the Okanagan Valley on the west.

The eastern boundary of the Okanagan Highland is clearly defined by the valley of the Kettle River.

[2] The Washington State Department of Natural Resources describes the "Okanogan Highlands" as a larger area, extending from east of the Cascade Mountains and north of the Columbia Basin into northern Idaho and the Shuswap Highland in British Columbia.

[3] The highest summit in the Highland is Big White Mountain, at its northeastern extremity, which is also the highest summit of the Beaverdell Range, a mountain range which extends south from Big White between the Kettle and West Kettle Rivers.