Seen from the Silesian Lowlands in the northeast, the Owl Mountains form a comparatively steep edge of the Central Sudetes, though the range is very diversified in terms of height.

In World War II, a vast tunnel system was driven into the mountains near the village of Wüstewaltersdorf (present-day Walim) at the behest of the Nazi German government.

Presumably meant to serve as a Führer Headquarters replacing Wolf's Lair in East Prussia, the adits are linked to another tunnel complex beneath Książ Castle (Schloss Fürstenstein), about 30 km (19 mi) in the northwest, built according to plans by Hermann Giesler.

At the foot of the range are well-known tourist places, like: Rzeczka, Walim at the Wielka Sowa massif, Sokolec, Jugów, Sierpnica, and Zagórze Śląskie.

Major towns at the foot of the Owl Mountains include Bielawa, Dzierżoniów, Głuszyca, Jedlina-Zdrój, Nowa Ruda, Pieszyce, and Srebrna Góra.