Lone Pine was located in the southern section of the ANZAC front line, known as 400 Plateau. To the south, the front line followed Bolton's Ridge down to Brighton Beach and to the north continued along the plateau to Johnston's Jolly, climbing along the ridge above Monash Valley to Russell's Top. These positions had been attained on the first day of the landing on 25 April 1915 and remained largely unchanged until the August offensive.
The plateau at Lone Pine was one of the largest areas of relatively flat land in the ANZAC front line. Running east-west, it was contained by Owen's Gully in the north and three steep gullies at the head of the Valley of Despair in the south. The opposing front line trenches, running north-south, were located on the western side of the plateau.
The Turkish trench system at Lone Pine was established around the head of Owen's Gully, winding south across the plateau, then dipping lower and continuing along Sniper's Ridge. The Australian front line was located opposite, on the western edge of the plateau, apart from a salient around a small rise known as The Pimple. The front-line trenches varied between fifty and 130 metres apart, comparable to the length of a an Olympic swimming pool, at the closest points.
