The eastern terminus of the highway is at an intersection with U.S. Route 82 (US 82) at Gordo.

SR 86 is aligned along a two-lane roadway as it enters Alabama.

Just east of the Mississippi state line, the highway crosses the Tom Bevill Lock and Dam and enters the town of Pickensville.

The highway travels to the east as it continues across Pickens County, connecting Pickensville with Carrollton and Gordo, where it intersects US 82, which leads eastwardly to Tuscaloosa.

The highway was extended eastward to its current terminus in 1962, replacing County Route 12.