Secondary Highway 534, commonly referred to as Highway 534, is a provincially maintained secondary highway in the Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 province of Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

. The route begins at the entrance to Restoule Provincial Park

Restoule Provincial Park

Restoule Provincial Park is a provincially maintained park in central Ontario, Canada. It is located between Restoule Lake and Stormy Lake and extends along the banks of the Restoule River until its entry into the French River . The park is located at the western terminus of Highway 534 northwest...

 and ends near Highway 11 in Powassan. The route provides access to several communities which lay south of Lake Nipissing

Lake Nipissing

Lake Nipissing is a lake in the Canadian province of Ontario. It has a surface area of , a mean elevation of above sea level, and is located between the Ottawa River and Georgian Bay. Excluding the Great Lakes, Lake Nipissing is the fifth-largest lake in Ontario. It is relatively shallow for a...

. Between those communities, the highway travels mostly through thick boreal forest. It was assumed in 1956, following its present course and remaining unchanged since. It is a lightly travelled route accommodating, on an average day, no more than 850 vehicles.

Route description

Highway 534 begins in Restoule Provincial Park in Patterson Township

Patterson Township, Ontario

Patterson Township is a geographic township in central Ontario, Canada. As it is unincorporated, it is located in the Central Unorganized portion of Parry Sound District. The township is located where the French River flows from Lake Nipissing, and then stretches south until it meets Pringle...

. It travels south, curving along the eastern shore of Restoule Lake

Restoule Lake

Restoule Lake is a lake of Ontario, Canada.It is one of the larger lakes in the area and contains many islands. It was discovered by fur traders. The lake is named after native chief Joseph Restoule. The Grawbrager family were the first to settle there in 1840. Restoule provincial park is located...

, south to the town of Restoule, where it then bends southeast and cuts through the northeast corner of Pringle Township near the community of Carr. Here it meets Highway 524, a short highway that travels south through Carr to Farleys Corners. From the junction with Highway 524, the route curves northeast into the Township of Nipissing

Nipissing, Ontario

Nipissing is a township in central Ontario, Canada, on Lake Nipissing in Parry Sound District. Nipissing was surveyed between 1874 and 1881, and was incorporated in 1888. Among the first settlers in the area were the Chapman and Beatty families. Nipissing village annexed Gurd Township in 1970...

. It passes through the community of Hotham before bending northeast to a junction with Highway 654 near the community of Nipissing

Nipissing, Ontario

Nipissing is a township in central Ontario, Canada, on Lake Nipissing in Parry Sound District. Nipissing was surveyed between 1874 and 1881, and was incorporated in 1888. Among the first settlers in the area were the Chapman and Beatty families. Nipissing village annexed Gurd Township in 1970...

. The highway then travels east through the community of Christian Valley and then Powassan, where it ends at Clark Street, east of the interchange with Highway 11.

In total, the highway is 43.9 kilometres (27.3 mi) long. The portion of the highway between Highway 524 and Highway 654 is part of the Lake Nipissing Circle Tour. The entire route is located within Parry Sound District. In 2007, the busiest section was between Highway 11 and Highway 654, which had an annual average daily traffic

Annual average daily traffic

Average Annual daily traffic, abbreviated AADT, is a measure used primarily in transportation planning and transportation engineering. It is the total volume of vehicle traffic of a highway or road for a year divided by 365 days. AADT is a useful and simple measurement of how busy the road is...

 (AADT) count of 840, while the least busiest section was between Restoule and the western terminus, which had an AADT of 200.

History

The current route of Highway 534 was first assumed by the Department of Highways in early 1956, along with several dozen other secondary highways. It was likely maintained as a development road prior to that.
The route has remained unchanged since then.

Major intersections

The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 534. The entirety of the route is located within Parry Sound District.
{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
!scope="col"|Location
!scope="col"|km
!scope="col"|Destinations
!scope="col"|Notes
|-
|
|0.0
|Patterson Lake Road
|Restoule Provincial Park

Restoule Provincial Park

Restoule Provincial Park is a provincially maintained park in central Ontario, Canada. It is located between Restoule Lake and Stormy Lake and extends along the banks of the Restoule River until its entry into the French River . The park is located at the western terminus of Highway 534 northwest...

 entrance
|-
|Restoule
|9.0
|Commanda Lake Road
|
|-
|
|13.5
|
|
|-
|Nipissing

Nipissing, Ontario

Nipissing is a township in central Ontario, Canada, on Lake Nipissing in Parry Sound District. Nipissing was surveyed between 1874 and 1881, and was incorporated in 1888. Among the first settlers in the area were the Chapman and Beatty families. Nipissing village annexed Gurd Township in 1970...

|30.5
|
|
|-
|rowspan="2"|Powassan
|43.7
|
|Exit 316
|-
|43.9
|Clark Street
|