The broad 12,533-foot (3,820 m) mountain is located in the San Juan Mountains and within the Powderhorn Wilderness, a protected area managed by the Bureau of Land Management Gunnison Field Office and the Gunnison National Forest.

[4][3] Cannibal Plateau is composed of basaltic lava flows of the Hinsdale Formation, which are dated as 16 to 19 million years old.

[5][6] The easiest route to the summit starts at the Powderhorn Lakes Trailhead located at the northern edge of the wilderness area.

Where the trail turns southeast toward Powderhorn Lakes, leave the trail and continue 3.0 miles (4.8 km) up the ridge through meadows and eventually alpine tundra to the broad summit of Calf Creek Plateau.

All these routes begin in subalpine forests before emerging into the scenic alpine landscape of the Powderhorn Wilderness.