[3][4] The first 31 kilometres (19 mi) of the route is relatively straight, though like the rest of the highway, there are few signs of habitation along its journey through thick forests in the Canadian Shield; the hamlet of Ostrom is an exception to this.

Highway 560 meanders around several lakes dotting the remainder of its journey to Englehart, serving the communities of Shining Tree and Gowganda along its twisting route.

[3][4] Within this vast uninhabited region, Highway 560 is the closest public road to the highest point in Ontario, Ishpatina Ridge.

[5] At Elk Lake, the route provides access to Makobe - Grays River Provincial Park and then meets Highway 65, with which it shares a 1.0-kilometre (0.62 mi) concurrency.

Although numerous minor realignments have been made to the route over the years, the general alignment of the highway has remained unchanged.