Long Lake has been designated by DNR as a "conservation-oriented" provincial park and can be viewed as an "urban wilderness", even though much of its area has been altered by previous human activities and uses. It is anticipated that there will be no campgrounds or other high-impact projects planned for the park in the foreseeable future. This is in contrast to an aborted early plan to develop a resort area and artificial beach on the south side of Long Lake, which resulted in a wide roadbed stretching from halfway between Long Lake and the intersection of Old Sambro Rd. and Leblin Drive, to within about 183 meters of the lake itself. Extensive erosion along this roadbed has resulted in a strip of exposed bedrock which has been subsequently dubbed the "scar road" and is easily visible from the air. Most of the large southern portion of the park is expected to be designated as a "conservation zone" in the final version of the development plan, along with selected areas of the deciduous and mixed forest in the more heavily used northern region discussed above.