The road serves as the main street through the communities of Cranbury, South River and Sayreville, while also passing through rural areas on the outskirts of Mercer and southern Middlesex counties.

The designation of CR 535 picks up East State Street at the Trenton city line and heads northeast into the Bromley neighborhood of Hamilton.

It parallels Amtrak's Northeast Corridor line between both municipalities' respective train stations before abruptly turning southeast at 1.9 miles (3.1 km), an intersection with Klockner Road.

Once through Cranbury, CR 535 continues north on South Main Street, becomes North Main Street, turns right onto Plainsboro Road, turns left onto Maplewood Avenue, another right onto Half Acre Road, and shortly thereafter, merges into another short concurrency, this time with US 130.

After less than one-tenth mile (0.16 km), it breaks off to the right, taking a north-by-northeast path toward the New Jersey Turnpike and the Lower Raritan River Valley while the southbound direction follows the short concurrency with US 130 and turns slightly southwest on Maplewood Avenue.

It leaves the border for a short stretch starting at an intersection of Ridge Road/Rhode Hall Road (CR 522), then returns to what is now the township line with East Brunswick for one and a half miles (2.4 km).

CR 535 intersects Ryders Lane, passes East Brunswick High School on the right, then approaches a complex interchange with Route 18, providing access to New Brunswick and the turnpike at exit 9 to the northwest, Old Bridge and Shore Points to the south, and Spotswood via Summerhill Road (CR 613).

One mile (1.6 km) later, it crosses underneath the Garden State Parkway and reaches its former northern terminus, an intersection with the other end of Sayreville's Main Street.