Mount Apo the mountain to be sacred ground and a place of worship. A number of genealogies of Lumad leaders in South Central Mindanao trace their roots to Mount Apo. For the Lumads, the term "Apo" was coined from the name of their great grandparent "Apo Sandawawa". At , Mount Apo is the highest mountain & volcano in the Philippines. It is one of the country's most popular climbing destinations. Several trails lead to the summit, coming from North Cotabato and Davao provinces. Arguably the easiest route to the National Park is through Kidapawan with an average hike taking 3–4 days roundtrip.
Lake Apo in the mountains who assaulted his granddaughter and was punished by the mountain deities for his disrespectful act by flooding the area forming the Lake Apo. The lake is a crater lake, a basin formed on an old volcanic cone that was later filled with water. It was erroneously reported as a circular rift lake, as this area is not a rift zone but a volcanic area evident by the presence of nearby volcanic peaks like Musuan Peak ( to the E), Mount Kalatungan ( to the NW), Mount Dagumbaan ( to the SW), Mount Kidongin ( to the SW),