 To the west, across Lake Champlain, are the town of Putnam, New York, in Washington County, and Ticonderoga, New York, in Essex County.Mount Independence, elevation , is located in northwest Orwell, overlooking Lake Champlain and the town of Ticonderoga.According to the United States Census Bureau, Orwell has a total area of , of which is land and , or 5.02%, is water.