Under the Ontario Living Legacy Program, much of the land along the Ecotour route is protected for a variety of purposes. As you travel south on Highway 69 from the intersection of Highway 522, you pass through newly protected regions on both sides of the highway. On the east side is the 177,000-hectare North Parry Sound Enhanced Management Area. The designation protects recreational values, but permits selected forest and fur harvesting activities. The area also contains a number of rare and unique, vulnerable and threatened wildlife and plant species.

On the west side of the highway, covering a large area of the land between the Henvey Inlet Indian Reserve and Killbear Provincial Park, and over to and including Georgian Bay, are five Conservation Reserves. This area, which is some 30 kilometres in length, contains exceptional reptile diversity, old-growth forests and many specialized plant communities. You can enjoy many of these special habitats and species along the remainder of the Ecotour route.