The 14.0 kilometres (8.7 mi) tertiary highway was located entirely in Greenstone, in south central Thunder Bay District.

It was established in 1963 as a forest resource access road to the Sturgeon River Mine.

The entirely gravel-surfaced road travelled 14.0 kilometres (8.7 mi) north through dense boreal forest to the Namewaminikan River.

[4] In 2008, the final year for which traffic data is available, an average of 90 vehicles travelled along the highway each day.

[9] The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 801, as noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.