Secondary Highway 599, commonly referred to as Highway 599, 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 292 kilometres (181.4 mi) route connects Highway 17 near Ignace

Ignace, Ontario

Ignace is a township in the Kenora District of Northwestern Ontario, Canada, located at Highway 17 and Secondary Highway 599, and on the Canadian Pacific Railway between Thunder Bay and Kenora. It is on the shore of Agimak Lake, and, as of 2006, the population of Ignace was 1,431.The town was...

 with the remote northern community of Pickle Lake

Pickle Lake, Ontario

Pickle Lake is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the most northerly community in the province that has year-round access by road. Located north of Thunder Bay, highway access is via Highway 599, the only access road to the town from the south. More northerly communities rely...

Route description

Highway 599 is a long and isolated road in Northwestern Ontario

Northwestern Ontario

Northwestern Ontario is the region within the Canadian province of Ontario which lies north and west of Lake Superior, and west of Hudson Bay and James Bay. It includes most of subarctic Ontario. Its western boundary is the Canadian province of Manitoba, which disputed Ontario's claim to the...

, starting at the Trans-Canada Highway

Trans-Canada Highway

The Trans-Canada Highway is a federal-provincial highway system that joins the ten provinces of Canada. It is, along with the Trans-Siberian Highway and Australia's Highway 1, one of the world's longest national highways, with the main route spanning 8,030 km...

 (Highway 17) near Ignace. It travels through the dense forests and hills of Kenora District and ends in Pickle Lake. It is the longest secondary highway in Ontario, at about 292 kilometres (181.4 mi) long. It is also the northernmost highway in Ontario maintained by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.

The road links up with the Northern Ontario Resource Trail

Northern Ontario Resource Trail

The Northern Ontario Resource Trail is a mainly gravel road in the Canadian province of Ontario, which travels north from Pickle Lake to the northern shore of Windigo Lake...

, which used to be a part of Highway 599, and then Highway 808. The Resource Trail is paved for only the first 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) of its length, and is gravel for the rest of its length. It links up with winter road

Winter road

Winter roads are temporary highways carved out of snow and ice. They facilitate transportation to and from communities without permanent roads, and are commonly seen in isolated regions in Canada's north....

s that travel to isolated communities even farther north, terminating at the northern shore of Windigo Lake.

Towns

• Ignace
  Ignace, Ontario
  Ignace is a township in the Kenora District of Northwestern Ontario, Canada, located at Highway 17 and Secondary Highway 599, and on the Canadian Pacific Railway between Thunder Bay and Kenora. It is on the shore of Agimak Lake, and, as of 2006, the population of Ignace was 1,431.The town was...
  
  
• Valora
• Silver Dollar
  Silver Dollar, Ontario
  Silver Dollar is a community in the Kenora District of Ontario, located at the junction of Highway 599 and Highway 642....
  
  
• Savant Lake
  Savant Lake, Ontario
  Savant Lake is an unincorporated place and community in Unorganized Thunder Bay District in northwestern Ontario, Canada.-Transportation:Savant Lake is on Ontario Highway 599, roughly halfway between Ignace and Pickle Lake...
  
  
• Osnaburgh
• Rat Rapids
• Mishkeegogamang First Nation
  Mishkeegogamang First Nation
  Mishkeegogamang First Nation, also known as New Osnaburgh, Osnaburgh House, Osnaburgh or "Oz" for short, is an Ojibwa First Nation in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located on Highway 599 in the Kenora District, approximately 20 kilometres south of Pickle Lake...
  
   (New Osnaburgh)
• Pickle Lake
  Pickle Lake, Ontario
  Pickle Lake is a township in the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the most northerly community in the province that has year-round access by road. Located north of Thunder Bay, highway access is via Highway 599, the only access road to the town from the south. More northerly communities rely...
  
  

History

Highway 599 was initially constructed by the Department of Mines and Forestry in the early 1950s, opening from Savant Lake to Pickle Lake in 1955. In early 1956, that road was assumed by the Department of Highways and incorporated as part of the new secondary highway network, with the designation of Highway 599.
Unlike most other secondary highways, it was not possible to access the new highway by car from the rest of the province.

In 1958, construction began to connect the route with Highway 17 near Ignace, working south from Savant Lake. By 1963, Highway 599 was opened to the community of Valora, where it connected with the Ignace–Valora Road. On February 15, the province signed an industrial road agreement, which opened the Ignace–Valora Road to the general public, connecting Highway 599 with the rest of the province. Despite this, work continued on a paved road. In 1963 construction began from the Highway 17 end. The road was completed in the middle by 1966.

Major intersections

The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 599. In addition, it includes some minor junctions that are noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!Division
!Location
!km
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan="2"|Kenora
|Ignace
|0.0
|
|
|-
|Silver Dollar

Silver Dollar, Ontario

Silver Dollar is a community in the Kenora District of Ontario, located at the junction of Highway 599 and Highway 642....

|59.7
|
|
|-
|rowspan="3"|Thunder Bay

Thunder Bay District

Thunder Bay District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario. The district seat is Thunder Bay....

|Savant Lake
|126.8
|Savant Lake train station
|Canadian National (CN) railway crossing
|-
|rowspan="2"|Unorganized Thunder Bay District
|135.7
|
|
|-
|222.6
|Austin's Road (west)
Pashokokogan Lake Road (east)
|
|-
|rowspan="3"|Kenora
|Unorganized Kenora District
|255.7
|colspan=2 align=center|Rat River Bridge
|-
|Pickle Lake
|290.8
|Pickle Lake Road
|
|-
|Central Patricia
|291.4
|
|End of Highway 599

External links

• Highway 599 length and route