It encompasses 174 square kilometres (67 sq mi) in the remote highlands of north-central New Brunswick.

[3] The mountains in the park are erosional remnants of resistant igneous rocks that remained after an ancient Mesozoic peneplain surface was uplifted in the Cenozoic to form a plateau, and subsequently dissected via millions of years of erosion by wind, water and glacial ice.

Along the shores of Nictau Lake, First Nations artifacts have been found that date back to thousands of years.

[8] Signs are placed at the beginning of the hiking trails in Mount Carleton Provincial Park to provide a brief description of some of the human, cultural, and natural history of the area.

An annual stargazing event usually takes place in late July or early August.