Northern Ontario Resource Trail

Last updated

Ontario Highway 808.svg

Highway 808

Northern Ontario Resource Trail
NORT Road
Northern Ontario Resource Trail
A map of the Northern Ontario Resource Trail. Nungesser Road at left, Pickle Lake Road at right
Route information
Maintained by Ministry of Transportation of Ontario
Length281 km [1] [2]  (175 mi)
ExistedDecember 6, 1966–1983
Major junctions
South endOntario Highway 599.svg  Highway 599 in Pickle Lake
North end Windigo Lake
Location
Country Canada
Province Ontario
Districts Kenora
Major cities Pickle Lake
Highway system

The Northern Ontario Resource Trail (NORT) is the designation of two [3] mainly gravel roads in the Canadian province of Ontario. One road travels north from Pickle Lake to the northern shore of Windigo Lake, then to the North Caribou Lake First Nation at Weagamow Lake. The second road travels north from Red Lake. Both link several winter roads and ice roads that serve communities in extreme Northern Ontario with the provincial highway system. The first 60 kilometres (37 mi) of the Pickle Lake–Windigo Lake Road, as far as the Otoskwin River, also held the tertiary highway designation of Highway 808 within the provincial highway system from 1966 to 1983.

Contents

Route description

Pickle Lake

The Northern Ontario Resource Trail at Pickle Lake begins at the northern end of Highway 599 in Central Patricia and travels 236 kilometres (150 mi) to Windigo Lake. It initially meanders northeast before turning northwest. From the north shore of the lake, a non-NORT road on Crown Land continues for approximate 45 kilometres (28 mi) to serve the North Caribou Lake First Nation. [3] [4]

Although the road is maintained year-round, it is extremely lightly travelled, and is in a very remote section of the province. Motorists should stock up on supplies in Pickle Lake, and be prepared for remote bush travel. It is recommended to fill up on gasoline and supplies, and check weather conditions before travelling down this road, since there are no gas stations or any other services on the Northern Ontario Resource Trail north of Pickle Lake. Caution must be used while driving as well, as there are some steep grades on the route. Although the speed limit is 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph), there are many sections where such a speed cannot be maintained. [5]

Red Lake

A gravel road known as the Nungesser Road travels from the Red Lake northwards approximately 100 kilometres (60 mi) to Bak Creek. A road on Crown land then continues from that point to the Berens River. It begins at an intersection with Highway 125 just west of Balmertown. Approximately 83 kilometres (52 mi) north of there, it intersects with Taxi Bay Road, which provides boat access to Pikangikum First Nation. [6] [7] Several winter roads connect to Nungesser Road, and provide access and supplies from approximately January to March each year to fly-in First Nations territories in the far north of Ontario. Due to the effects of climate change, the winter roads have been open for a shorter period each year. Consequently, several First Nations are studying the feasibility of connecting to the road network with all-season roads. [8]

Communities served

The Northern Ontario Resource Trail serves several communities via ice/winter roads that branch from it:

History

Pickle Lake

The Pickle Lake Northern Ontario Resource Trail was built beginning in 1962 under the Resources Roads program, which was jointly funded by the provincial and federal government to encourage mineral exploration in the far north of Ontario. Initially known as Lingman Lake Road, construction began on 39.6 kilometres (24.6 mi) north from Central Patricia that year, and was completed in 1963. [9] However, the road was not travelable until the following year, when timber crib and steel girder bridges were opened over the Crow River in Central Patricia and at July Falls. [10] By early 1966, the road was passable as far as 60 kilometres (37 mi) north of Central Patricia. [11]

On December 15, 1966, the 60-kilometre (37 mi) portion of Highway 599 from Central Patricia to the Otoskwin River was re-designated as Tertiary Road (commonly Highway) 808. [12] This designation lasted until 1983, when it was decommissioned as an official Provincial Highway.[ citation needed ] The southernmost three km of the trail is paved, while the remaining length is gravel. The road is maintained year-round, due to its importance as a connection to natural resources sites and to ice/winter roads connecting remote First Nations communities in the Kenora District. [5]

Beginning in December 2013, the North Caribou Lake First Nation undertook engineering and environmental studies on connecting to the provincial highway network by extending the Northern Ontario Resource Trail. Construction of a bridge over the Weagamow Lake Narrows as well as the new road south to Windigo Lake commenced in late 2016 or early 2017. With the completion of the Wa-Pik-Che-Wanoog bridge in mid-October 2017, all-season road acess was extended by 45 kilometres (28 mi), [13] [14] although the extension is not officially part of the Pickle Lake NORT Road.

Red Lake

The Nungesser Road gets its name from the nearby Nungesser Lake, which in turn is named after a French aviator named Charles Nungesser.[ citation needed ]

Major intersections

Pickle Lake

The following table lists the major junctions along the Pickle Lake Northern Ontario Resource Trail. [1] The entire route is located in Kenora District. 

DivisionLocationkmmiDestinationsNotes
Central Patricia 0.00.0Ontario Highway 599.svg  Highway 599 south – Pickle Lake, Ignace
Unorganized Kenora District 58.836.5
Otoskwin River crossing; end of former Highway 808 designation
Windigo Lake 237147
Windigo Lake shoreline
North Caribou Lake First Nation 281175
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Red Lake

The following table lists the major junctions along the Nungesser Road Northern Ontario Resource Trail. [2] The entire route is located in Kenora District. 

DivisionLocationkmmiDestinationsNotes
Balmertown 00.0Ontario 125 crown.svg  Highway 125 – Red Lake, Cochenour
Unorganized Kenora District 8352 Pikangikum All Season Road
9760Bak CreekBak Lake MNR Base
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trans-Canada Highway</span> Transcontinental highway system in Canada

The Trans-Canada Highway is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the Atlantic Ocean on the east coast. The main route spans 7,476 km (4,645 mi) across the country, one of the longest routes of its type in the world. The highway system is recognizable by its distinctive white-on-green maple leaf route markers, although there are small variations in the markers in some provinces.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenora District</span> District in Ontario, Canada

Kenora District is a district and census division in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. The district seat is the City of Kenora.

King's Highway 101, commonly referred to as Highway 101, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The 473.3-kilometre (294.1 mi) highway connects Highway 17 west of Wawa with Highway 11 in Matheson before continuing east to the Ontario–Quebec border where it becomes Route 388. The highway forms one of the only connections between the two routes of the Trans-Canada Highway between Nipigon and Temagami, and crosses some of the most remote regions of Northern Ontario. Major junctions are located with Highway 129 near Chapleau and Highway 144 southwest of Timmins, though the distance between these junctions is significant.

King's Highway 17, more commonly known as Highway 17, is a provincially maintained highway and the primary route of the Trans-Canada Highway through the Canadian province of Ontario. It begins at the Manitoba boundary, 50 km (31 mi) west of Kenora, and the main section ends where Highway 417 begins just west of Arnprior. A small disconnected signed section of the highway still remains within the Ottawa Region between County Road 29 and Grants Side Road. This makes it Ontario's longest highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pickle Lake</span> Township in Ontario, Canada

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 530 kilometres (330 mi) north of Thunder Bay, highway access is via Highway 599, the only access road to the town from the south. More northerly communities rely on winter roads for access and are cut off to land travel in the summer. Highway 599 meets the Northern Ontario Resource Trail, formerly Tertiary Highway 808, at Pickle Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ontario Highway 525</span> Ontario provincial highway

Secondary Highway 525, commonly referred to as Highway 525, is a provincially maintained secondary highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is a short, remote secondary highway that links Highway 596 to the Wabaseemoong First Nations reserve. It is the second-westernmost secondary highway in the province, Highway 673 being the first. The route was commissioned by 1982 along what was formerly Highway 596; a former use of the route number existed between 1956 and 1973 in Gravenhurst.

Mishkeegogamang First Nation is an Ojibway band government in the Canadian province of Ontario. Until 1993, the band was called the Osnaburgh First Nation, with various settlements at times being called New Osnaburgh, Osnaburgh House, or Osnaburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ontario Highway 599</span> Ontario provincial highway

Secondary Highway 599, commonly referred to as Highway 599, is a provincially maintained secondary highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The 291.0 km (180.8 mi) route connects Highway 17 near Ignace with the remote northern community of Pickle Lake; its terminus at Pickle Lake marks the northernmost point on the provincial highway system. Highway 599 was first assigned in 1956 between Savant Lake and Pickle Lake, although it did not connect with the rest of the provincial highway system at the time. Construction to link it with Highway 17 in Ignace took place between 1958 and 1966. The northern end of Highway 599 is one of two possible starting points for a road to the Ring of Fire mineral deposits, the other being Highway 584 in Nakina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ontario Highway 71</span> Ontario provincial highway

King's Highway 71, commonly referred to as Highway 71, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The 194-kilometre-long (121 mi) route begins at the Fort Frances–International Falls International Bridge in Fort Frances, continuing from US Highway 53 (US 53) and US 71 in Minnesota, and travels west concurrently with Highway 11 for 40 kilometres (25 mi) to Chapple. At that point, Highway 11 continues west while Highway 71 branches north and travels 154 kilometres (96 mi) to a junction with Highway 17 just east of Kenora. Highway 71 forms a branch of the Trans-Canada Highway for its entire length, with the exception of the extremely short segment south of Highway 11 in Fort Frances.

Cat Lake First Nation is an Ojibway First Nation reserve approximately 180 kilometres northwest of Sioux Lookout in northwestern Ontario, Canada, located on the central north shore of Cat Lake. As of 2021, their total registered population was 651 people.

Webequie First Nation is located on the northern peninsula of Eastwood Island on Winisk Lake, 540 km (336 mi) north of Thunder Bay in Ontario, Canada. Webequie is a fly-in community with no summer road access. The primary way into the community is by air to Webequie Airport or winter road, which connects to the Northern Ontario Resource Trail. The First Nation have the 34,279 ha Webequie Indian reserve. The Webequie or Webiqui Indian Settlement also have reserve status. Webequie First Nation is a member of the Matawa First Nations, a Regional Chiefs' Council and a member of the Nishnawbe Aski Nation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandy Lake First Nation</span> Indian reserve in Ontario, Canada

Sandy Lake First Nation is an independent Oji-Cree First Nations band government. The First Nations community, in the west part of Northern Ontario, is located in the Kenora District, 227 km (141 mi) northeast of Red Lake, Ontario. Its registered population in June 2007 was 2,474. As of December 2015 the total registered population reached 3,034. Sandy Lake First Nation maintains an affiliation with Nishnawbe Aski Nation, as a signatory to the Treaty 5.

King's Highway 125, commonly referred to as Highway 125, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is the second northernmost provincial highway in Ontario, behind Secondary Highway 599. The 13-kilometre (8.1 mi) route connects Highway 105 in Red Lake with Cochenour to the northeast. It was built in the early 1950s and assumed as a gravel-surfaced provincial highway in 1955. The route was paved in 1962 and remains generally unchanged today.

McDowell Lake First Nation is a small Oji-Cree First Nation band government located in Northern Ontario, located approximately 155 km northeast of Red Lake, Ontario, Canada, on the central western shore of McDowell Lake. As of December, 2007, their total registered population was 52. It is part of the Keewaytinook Okimakanak Council and the Nishnawbe Aski Nation.

Redditt is an unincorporated community in Unorganized Kenora District in northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is on the MacFarlane River, and located at the northern terminus of Ontario Highway 658, 27 kilometres (17 mi) north of Kenora. Redditt is also the name of the surrounding geographic township that includes the community.

North Caribou Lake First Nation or Weagamow First Nation, sometimes also known as Round Lake First Nation, is an Oji-Cree First Nations band government who inhabit the Kenora District in northern Ontario, Canada. It is approximately 320 km (200 mi) by air north of Sioux Lookout. As of January 2008, the First Nations had a registered population of 928 people, of which their on-Reserve population was 677.

Sachigo Lake First Nation is an Oji-Cree First Nation band government in Unorganized Kenora District in Northwestern Ontario, Canada. It is located on Sachigo Lake, part of the Sachigo River system and Hudson Bay drainage basin, approximately 425 kilometres (264 mi) north of the town of Sioux Lookout. As of September 2011, the First Nation had a registered population of 814 people, of which the on-reserve population was 443.

King's Highway 70, commonly referred to as Highway 70, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario, which provided a shorter route from Highway 6 and Highway 21 in Springmount to Highway 6 in Hepworth. The route, which now forms part of Highway 6, was 15.1 kilometres (9.4 mi) long and travelled in a southeast–northwest direction west of Owen Sound. The route followed an early trail blazed by deputy surveyor Charles Rankin in 1842 that was upgraded to a modern road in the 1920s. Highway 70 was designated in 1965 and renumbered as Highway 6 in 1997. Another Highway 70 existed near Kenora between 1937 and 1959 before being renumbered as Highway 71. This designation was applied along the newly opened Heenan Highway, shortly after the Department of Highways (DHO) began numbering routes in northern Ontario. However, a series of renumberings in 1960 led to the entire length becoming part of Highway 71.

References

KML file (edit • help)
Template:Attached KML/Northern Ontario Resource Trail
KML is not from Wikidata
  1. 1 2 Google (January 16, 2014). "Northern Ontario Resource Trail - length and route (excluding northern 45 kilometres)" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  2. 1 2 Google (October 21, 2022). "Length and Route of Nungesser Road NORT" (Map). Google Maps . Google. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  3. 1 2 Draft Technical Backgrounder: Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation Strategy – Highways and Roads (PDF) (Report). IBI Group. November 2016. p. 12. Retrieved October 19, 2022.
  4. ↑ Connecting the North: A Draft Transportation Plan for Northern Ontario (Report). Government of Ontario. December 10, 2020. Retrieved October 20, 2022. The province has committed to fund long-term maintenance of the Pickle Lake Northern Ontario Resource Transportation (NORT) road extension. It would run from its current endpoint about 200 km northwest of Pickle Lake to North Caribou Lake First Nation ... This road extension would replace a 42-km stretch of winter road.
  5. 1 2 Backroad Mapbook, Northwestern Ontario. Mussio Ventures. 2016. p. 95. ISBN   978-1-926806-40-2.
  6. ↑ Draft Technical Backgrounder: Northern Ontario Multimodal Transportation Strategy – Winter Roads (PDF) (Report). IBI Group. November 2016. p. 1. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  7. ↑ Golder Associates (August 2017). Wildlife Species At Risk Assessment: Pikangikum Distribution Line Project (PDF) (Report). Fortis Inc. pp. 4, 15. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  8. ↑ Reid, Cheryl (April 7, 2015). Weathering Winter Roads – What is the Best Route? (Report). Northern Policy Institute. Retrieved October 21, 2022.
  9. ↑ "Mining, Access, Resources and Forestry Report 1963–64". Annual Report (Report). Ontario Department of Highway. March 31, 1964. pp. 62–64.
  10. ↑ "District No. 19—Fort William". Annual Report (Report). Ontario Department of Highway. March 31, 1965. p. 181.
  11. ↑ "District No. 19—Fort William". Annual Report (Report). Ontario Department of Highway. March 31, 1966. p. 193.
  12. ↑ "Schedule of Designations and Re-Designations of Sections of the King's Highway, Secondary Highway and Tertiary Road Systems for the Fiscal Year Ending March 31, 1967". Annual Report (Report). Ontario Department of Highway. March 31, 1965. p. 309.
  13. ↑ Garrick, Rick (September 15, 2016). "North Caribou Lake planning all season road" (PDF). Wawatay News . p. 9. Retrieved October 20, 2022.
  14. ↑ Clutchey, Carl (October 19, 2017). "Bridge completes link Sub: North Caribou Lake welcomes all-season road". Thunder Bay Chronicle Journal . ProQuest   1953109106.(subscription required)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.