[4] The remote mountain is set 40 miles southeast of Idaho Falls, Idaho, in the Caribou–Targhee National Forest, and can be seen to the east of Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

Topographic relief is modest as the summit rises 3,400 feet (1,000 meters) above Grays Lake in four miles.

Precipitation runoff from the mountain's slopes drains into tributaries of the Snake River watershed.

This landform's toponym has been officially adopted by the United States Board on Geographic Names.

[3] Based on the Köppen climate classification, Caribou Mountain has an alpine subarctic climate with long, cold, snowy winters, and mild to warm summers.