<P> Glacier National Park is one of seven national parks in British Columbia, and is part of a system of 43 parks and park reserves across Canada . Established in 1886, the park encompasses 1,349 km (521 sq mi), and includes a portion of the Columbia Mountains . It also contains the Rogers Pass National Historic Site . </P> <P> The park's history is closely tied to two primary Canadian transportation routes, the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR), completed in 1885, and the Trans - Canada Highway, completed in 1963 . The pass in the centre of the park eluded explorers until 1881 . The railway brought with it tourism, the establishment of Glacier National Park and the construction of a popular alpine hotel . The heavy winter snows and steep, avalanche - prone valleys of the park have been a major obstacle to transportation, necessitating much railway engineering and avalanche control measures . </P> <P> The park contains high peaks, large, active glaciers, and one of Canada's largest cave systems . Its dense forests support populations of large mammals, birds, and alpine species . The region is noted for its heavy snowfall . The park has an extensive network of trails, three campgrounds, and four backcountry huts and cabins . Due to the major transportation routes that bisect it, Glacier National Park sees large numbers of visitors . </P> <P> The Selkirk Mountains were first noted by Europeans when explorer David Thompson of the North West Company skirted around them on the Columbia River in 1811 . He named them Nelson's Mountains, after Lord Horatio Nelson, but they were later renamed after an executive for the rival Hudson's Bay Company, Lord Thomas Douglas Selkirk . </P>

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