The Canol Road starts at Johnson's Crossing on the Alaska Highway near the Teslin River bridge, 126 kilometres (78 mi) east of Whitehorse, Yukon, and runs to the Northwest Territories border.

This required the use of winter roads and river movement, including several portages around rapids, and was soon found to be cumbersome, slow, and a bottleneck.

Workers on the road and pipeline had to endure mosquitoes, black flies, extreme cold and other difficult conditions.

Twelve tankers-full of oil were delivered to Alaska annually in spite of the perceived threat from Japanese occupation of the Aleutians, while Canol only provided the equivalent of one tanker-full.

Although abandoned in 1946–1947, the southernmost 150 miles (240 km) was reopened in 1958 to connect Ross River, Yukon, with the Alaska Highway.

Many are marked with a sign indicating differing vehicle weight limits above and below −35 °C (−31 °F), seemingly redundant since the road is closed in winter, when such temperatures would happen.

Canadian folk singer Stan Rogers wrote and performed a song called "Canol Road" which names several settlements in the area.

[3] When remediation is complete it will allow the creation of a territorial park to proceed as set out in the Sahtu Dene and Metis Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement.

[4] Stan Rogers wrote a song referencing Canol Road, with it appearing on his album Northwest Passage.

[6] The song details a man who tries to escape the police on Canol Road after all other ways are blocked, and subsequently freezing to death.