The western terminus formerly extended just to the west of its current point to Davis Dam; this became Mohave County Road 68 in 1998.

The primary purpose of this route is to carry traffic to Bullhead City and Laughlin, Nevada.

Since September 11, 2001, the highway had also composed part of the mandatory detour for trucks and recreational vehicles traveling between Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada via US 93, due to the heavy vehicle restrictions over Hoover Dam.

There are two runaway truck ramps at six and ten miles westwards downhill from Union Pass.

Among many other subtests, it requires an uphill (eastbound) pull on AZ-68 from near the Davis Dam at 550 ft (170 m) elevation at a minimum temperature of 100 °F (38 °C), driving the 11.4 mi (18.3 km) at a minimum of 40 mph (64 km/h) up the 7 percent grade (average 5%) to Union Pass at 3,570 ft (1,090 m) elevation.