The road is a major route for jeepneys and cabs, serving the New Manila area and connecting Eulogio Rodriguez Sr. Avenue and Nicanor Domingo Street in Quezon City.

[2] Running in the north-northeast to south-southeast direction, it ends in a T-junction with Nicanor Domingo Street near the San Juan Reservoir for a total length of 1.3 kilometers (0.81 mi).

[7][8] One variation of the legend claims a student at the University of the Philippines was sexually assaulted and killed by a taxi driver, and her spirit roams the street looking for her murderer.

Another version of the story claims that a female resident of one of the ancestral mansions lining Balete Drive was abused and killed by her own family, and her spirit haunts the road, seeking help from passing drivers.

[7] In a 2021 opinion piece by former Presidential Press Secretary Buddy Gomez, former Calbayog city prosecutor's office lawyer Deogracias Ortega claimed the entire legend was an embellished fabrication of a magazine article in 1952.

[9] The street is featured in the 1988 horror film Hiwaga sa Balete Drive, which retells the supposed paranormal activities experienced by people who live or have traveled along it.