Mount Hugh Neave is named for Hugh Neave (1909-1988) who was a mountaineer, rock climber and backcountry explorer of Wells Gray Park from 1966 to 1987. He was a latecomer among the explorers of Wells Gray Park, but he was drawn by the scenery and the challenge of mountaineering, rather than by the wealth of mining, trapping or guiding. In 1966, he made his first expedition to the Huntley-Buchanan Ridge north of Azure Lake and was a regular visitor to those peaks for the next 20 years.