McClure Peak is located on the crest or Main Divide of the Southern Alps, with the summit set on the boundary shared by the Canterbury and West Coast Regions of the South Island.

[3] It is situated 180 kilometres (112 mi) west of the city of Christchurch on the northeastern boundary of Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park.

[4] The mountain was originally named Mount Tyndall by Julius von Haast, but this toponym was transferred to another peak.

[3] The present name honours Gordon Hurrell Morland McClure (1859–1947), a local surveyor who worked in this area during the late 1880s.

The months of December through February offer the most favourable weather for viewing or climbing this peak.