McHugh Peak is situated in Chugach State Park, 14 mi (23 km) southeast of downtown Anchorage, and 5 mi (8 km) southwest of O'Malley Peak.

Reaching the top involves hiking on a ridge trail and scrambling the final summit tor.

[3][4] The mountain's name is derived from McHugh Creek which drains the south slope of this peak, and the creek's name was first published in 1912 by the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey.

[6] Based on the Köppen climate classification, McHugh Peak is located in a subarctic climate zone with long, cold, snowy winters, and mild summers.

Precipitation runoff from the peak drains into McHugh, Potter, and Rabbit Creeks, which empty into Turnagain Arm three miles from the summit.