The highway follows the same route today, with the exception of the westernmost 1.9 kilometres (1.2 mi), which were transferred to the City of North Bay in 1998.

Prior to 1998, the route included a 1.9-kilometre (1.2 mi) section of Cassells Street extending into downtown North Bay.

It meanders northward, meeting the northern end of Highway 533, which travels south to Mattawa, approximately two-thirds of the distance between North Bay and the Quebec border.

For the remainder of the highway, the route passes through isolated forests, travelling north, then curving east towards the Ottawa River.

North of Thorne, the highway turns east and crosses the river into Quebec, becoming Route 101 and entering Témiscaming.