Baseline runs from Richmond Road (almost directly over Highway 416) east in a straight line until it ends at the Heron Road Bridge over the Rideau River and Rideau Canal when it becomes Heron Road.

The street is named for its location as the baseline for Nepean Township.

Currently, Baseline is a major east–west street, and in the late 1990s it became so busy that Hunt Club Road had to be extended west of the Rideau River to alleviate pressure.

Points of interest on Baseline include the Queensway Carleton Hospital, the Boy Scouts Museum, Algonquin College and the Central Experimental Farm.

In the future, Baseline Road will have bus lanes between Navaho Drive and Prince of Wales Drive to speed up transit service in this stretch (OC Transpo bus route 88) due to consistent heavy traffic.