The national park is located approximately 550 kilometres (340 mi) northwest of Sydney and contained within 23,311 hectares (57,600 acres).

Access via Coonabarabran to the east is by 27 kilometres (17 mi) of sealed road called the John Renshaw Parkway, built in 1966.

[1] Located within the large area of temperate savanna grasslands the park incorporates the most spectacular part of the Warrumbungle mountains, a region of past volcanic activity with unusual lava formations.

[6] The construction of a network of walking tracks done by hand was headed by the parks first ranger, Carl Dow.

[6] The park was added to the list of the National Heritage in December 2006,[9] in recognition of the park's importance as an extensive and spectacular geomorphological site with bold volcanic landforms that are unrivalled anywhere else in Australia; for its unique values as a transition zone between the arid western and wetter coastal zones; and its significance as an important refugium in inland south-east Australia.

[10] The national park was used as a filming location for the video for singer David Bowie's 1983 single "Let's Dance", centring on The Breadknife.