SR 59 leaves the concurrency on the west side of Merced and travels north as the Snelling Highway.

The highway winds up the Sierra Nevada foothills until it passes through Snelling, where it ends.

[2] SR 59 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System,[3] but except for a portion in Merced is not part of the National Highway System,[4] a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration.

Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964, based on the alignment that existed at the time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage.

[6] Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted.