Doi Inthanon stretching southwards from the Daen Lao Range. This range, the southwesternmost of the Shan Highland system, separates the Salween watershed from the Mekong watershed. Other high peaks of the Loi Lar Mountain Range are Doi Luang Chiang Dao (2,175 m), Doi Pui (1,685 m), and Doi Suthep (1,601 m). In 1954, the forests around Doi Inthanon were conserved, creating Doi Inthanon National Park, as one of the original 14 national parks of Thailand. This park now covers 482.4 km² and spreads from the lowlands at 800 m elevation up to the peak at 2,565 m. Given the varied climatic and
Doi Inthanon ecological areas regions, the park supports a range of animal species, including over 360 bird species. On the lower slopes of Doi Inthanon, near the Karen hill tribe village, Ban Sop Had, are the Wachirathan waterfalls (), where the Wachirathan (lit. "Diamond Creek") tumbles over a granite escarpment. The climate is typically tropical and fairly cool on the summit of Doi Inthanon. In winter the average temperature is 6 °C (43 °F) in January and temperatures can sometimes drop below 0 °C (32 °F). On 21 December 2017, an all-time low temperature of minus-5 °C was recorded at 06:30 at