In fortifications, a parapet is a defence of earth or stone to cover troops from the enemy’s observation and fire. The name was suggested by shape and by association of sound with Paragon Peak, continuing the fortification theme established by interprovincial boundary surveyors in the 1920s. The name does not appear on the 1924 Alberta-British Columbia Boundary Commission maps.

Cyril G. Wates [1883–1946] explored the area in 1924, writing at one point that “our first care was to select a sleeping place and protect it from the wind. A flat spot was found with a large rock making a natural wall on one side, and we then proceeded to complete our house by enclosing the other three sides with a parapet about two feet high, over which we fastened one of our canvas squares, propping the centre with one of the axes.” Wates returned in 1933, writing, “We passed close under the cliffs of Parapet Peak.”