Ontario Highway 72 History - The King's Highways of Ontario

King's Highway 72 is a minor collector highway connecting Sioux Lookout to Highway 17 at Dinorwic. The highway passes through exclusively rural areas along its 69 km route. There are no communities of any significant size along Highway 72, other than Dinorwic and Sioux Lookout, located at the southern and northern end of the highway, respectively. The highway was first established in the 1930s when a Department of Northern Development Trunk Road was constructed to Sioux Lookout. The Dinorwic-Sioux Lookout Trunk Road was officially designated as King's Highway 72 in 1937. Originally, the highway split into two roads just south of Sioux Lookout. A branch of Highway 72 led to the community of Hudson, located about 25 km west of Sioux Lookout. According to some historical sources, the highway to Hudson was known as Highway 72A before being renumbered as Highway 116 in the 1950s, but this has not yet been confirmed. The route of Highway 72 has changed very little since the 1930s, apart from a few minor revisions to the road alignment in certain locations.

Highway 72 is a two-lane highway from Dinorwic to Sioux Lookout. Services are not available along Highway 72, other than in Dinorwic and Sioux Lookout. Moose are quite common along Highway 72. These enormous animals can often be seen crossing the highway corridor. 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 72 at night. The speed limit on Highway 72 is 80 km/h (50 mph), unless posted otherwise. Please visit the Highway 72 Mileage Chart page for a list of mileage reference points along Highway 72.