The principal urban centres along the highway include Alliston, Shelburne and Mount Forest.

Outside these towns, the highway travels through rural farmland across a large part of southwestern Ontario.

The route forms the main streets of several of the small towns that dot the highway east to west, namely Cookstown, Alliston and Shelburne.

The highway also forms the backbone of many small villages and hamlets between the larger centres, such as Conn, Keldon, Primrose, Violet Hill, Rosemont and Nicolston.

East of Fennel, the roadway continues as Simcoe County Road 3 / Shore Acres Drive.

[3] The highway mostly runs through farmland and small communities, although the route does pass by Earl Rowe Provincial Park and the Honda car manufacturing plant in the Alliston area.

[12] The following table lists the major junctions along Highway 89, as noted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario.