Ontario Highway 60 History - The King's Highways of Ontario

King's Highway 60 is a major collector highway which connects Huntsville to Renfrew through Algonquin Provincial Park. The highway passes through mostly rural portions of Central and Eastern Ontario, occasionally passing through some small towns. The principal towns located along the highway are Huntsville, Barry's Bay, Eganville and Renfrew. The highway was first established in the 1930s when a series of roads to the east and west of Algonquin Park were amalgamated into a continuous through route. The new road was designated as King's Highway 60 in 1937. Originally, the highway ended just east of Golden Lake, but the highway was extended to Eganville and Renfrew in the 1950s and 1960s. For a number of years, Highway 60 shared its route between Huntsville and Dwight with Highway 35. The concurrent Highway 35 & 60 designation was discontinued in the early 1960s, when Highway 35 was truncated at the Highway 60 Junction at Dwight. The section of Highway 60 through Algonquin Park was designated as the Frank McDougall Parkway in the 1990s.

Most sections of Highway 60 are two lanes, although one section leading east out of Huntsville was recently reconstructed as a four-lane undivided highway. Passing lanes appear periodically along Highway 60, particularly between Huntsville and the Algonquin Park West Gate. Services along Highway 60 are generally quite scarce outside of communities. No services are available through Algonquin Park. Motorists using Highway 60 to simply traverse Algonquin Park do not require a park permit. However, park permits are required if motorists wish to utilize any of Algonquin Park's picnic areas, campgrounds, or hiking trails located along the Highway 60 Corridor. Permits are available at the East and West Gatehouses and at all Campground Offices. Moose are quite common along Highway 60. These enormous animals can often be seen crossing the highway corridor, especially within Algonquin Park. This represents a serious collision hazard, because these animals are difficult for motorists to see at night. Slow down and be prepared for moose if you plan to use Highway 60 at night. The speed limit on Highway 60 is 80 km/h (50 mph), unless posted otherwise. Please visit the Highway 60 Mileage Chart page for a list of mileage reference points along Highway 60.