Table Mountain National Park was previously known as the Cape Peninsula National Park. It was proclaimed on May 29 1998, for the purpose of protecting the natural environment of the Table Mountain Chain, and in particular the rare fynbos vegetation.

The park runs approximately north-south along the range of mountains that make up the mountainous spine of the Cape Peninsula, from Signal Hill in the north, through Lion's Head, Table Mountain, Constantiaberg, Silvermine, the mountains of the southern Peninsula, terminating at Cape Point. It is not a single contiguous area; the undeveloped mountainous areas which make up most of the park are separated by developed urban areas on shallower terrain. Thus the park is divided into three sections. The Table Mountain section in the north, the Silvermine-Tokai section in de middle and de Cape Point section on the south of the peninsula.