Ontario Highway 599, commonly referred to as Highway 599, is a provincial secondary highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is the northernmost paved highway in the province and provides the only road access to the remote community of Pick Lake, situated near the Ontario–Manitoba border.
Route description
- Southern terminus: Highway 599 begins at an interchange with Highway 17 (the Trans‑Canada Highway) near the town of Ignace in the Thunder Bay District.
- Length: Approximately 291 km (181 mi).
- Course: The highway travels northward through largely unpopulated boreal forest and Canadian Shield terrain. Key waypoints include the communities of Red Lake Road, Eagle Lake, and the First Nations reserve of Lac Seul.
- Northern terminus: The paved surface ends at the community of Pick Lake, where the road transitions to a gravel surface that continues further north to remote sites and the Ontario–Manitoba border.
Historical background
- The route was originally constructed as a logging and resource‑access road in the 1950s.
- It was assumed into the provincial highway network and officially designated as Highway 599 in 1958.
- Since its designation, the highway has been incrementally upgraded; the portion between Ignace and Pick Lake was fully paved by the early 1990s, making it the longest secondary highway in Ontario.
Significance
- Highway 599 serves as a critical transportation corridor for residents, tourism operators, and commercial activities (including mining and forestry) in northwestern Ontario.
- It provides the only all‑weather road connection between the National Highway Network and several isolated communities, reducing reliance on air transport.
Maintenance
- The highway is maintained by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO). Maintenance responsibilities include snow removal, surface repairs, and signage. Seasonal weather conditions, such as heavy snow and freeze‑thaw cycles, can affect travel reliability.
Major intersections
| km (mi) | Location | Junction | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | Ignace | Highway 17 (Trans‑Canada) | Southern terminus |
| 105.2 | Red Lake Road | Highway 618 (spurs to Red Lake) | Access to Red Lake mining area |
| 151.6 | Eagle Lake | Highway 655 (spurs to Sioux Lookout) | Minor connector |
| 291.0 | Pick Lake | — | Northern terminus (paved end) |
References
- Ontario Ministry of Transportation, Official Road Maps (various editions).
- Government of Ontario, “Provincial Highway Traffic Volumes” reports.
All information presented is based on publicly available government and transportation sources.
