The investigation by the Kumano Kinenkan Museum confirmed many relics such as guideposts, stupa-shaped stones for indicating distances and ruins of inns, and pointed out that it had been a road for the common people.
熊野記念館の調査では、小辺路沿いに道標・町石・宿屋跡など多くの交通遺跡が確認され、庶民の道としての性格が指摘された。