The article calculates the recreational carrying capacity of an ecological route and analyzes the sustainability of ecosystems in hard-to-reach specially protected natural areas in order to develop ecological tourism with minimal impact on the natural environment. The analysis was carried out on the example of the Tsarskaya Doroga ecological route in the Bureinsky State Nature Reserve. Currently, there is a steady increase in eco-tourism. Visiting natural areas in conditions of urbanization has a positive effect on a person's physical health and psycho-emotional state. However, in order to prevent negative effects on the natural environment, it is necessary to normalize the recreational load. Research methodology consists of ecosystem field observations and the method of partial paired comparison (Fuller's triangle) used to determine the weighting factors. Special attention is paid to the consideration of corrective factors, since the natural environment can be very sensitive to anthropogenic influences. An increase in the recreational load on natural areas can lead to ecosystem degradation and a decrease in biodiversity. To prevent these negative consequences, it is necessary to take into account all environmental factors and make appropriate correction factors in the calculations of recreational capacity. The article adaptats methods for calculating the recreational capacity of the Tsarskaya Doroga ecological route on the territory of the Bureinsky State Nature Reserve. This makes it possible to more accurately assess the current capacity and prevent environmental degradation. The practical testing of the Current Capacity Assessment methodology using qualimetric approaches was carried out on the territory of the Tsarskaya Doroga ecological route, excluding ascent to Mount Podkova, within the Bureinsky State Nature Reserve.