The highway extends 50.95 miles (82.00 km) from New York Road (U.S. Route 9 or US 9) in Galloway Township to Federal Street (CR 537) in Camden.

CR 561 begins at an intersection with US 9 in Galloway Township, Atlantic County (near the Seaview Resort), heading northwest on two-lane undivided Jimmie Leeds Road.

The route turns more to the west and passes under the Garden State Parkway, with access to that road via Exit 41.

CR 561 heads west into the community of Pomona, running between forests to the north and wooded residential and commercial development to the south and passing AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center Mainland Division.

The road passes through dense forests and crosses CR 575 prior to running through a mix of farmland and woodland.

After crossing CR 674, the route enters Egg Harbor City and passes through forested residential areas.

CR 561 northbound forms a brief wrong-way concurrency with Route 54 as it crosses NJ Transit's Atlantic City Line in the commercial downtown area of Hammonton.

The southbound direction of CR 561 crosses the tracks at Orchard Avenue and does not form a concurrency with Route 54.

The route continues northwest on Egg Harbor Road and passes through residential areas, running immediately to the southwest of the Atlantic City Line.

[1][2] CR 561 continues into Winslow Township in Camden County and becomes Cedarbrook Road as it heads into a mix of farmland, woodland, and homes.

The road runs through the commercial center of Berlin, with CR 561 splitting from US 30/CR 534 by heading north onto Haddon Avenue and coming to a bridge over the Atlantic City Line.

The road continues into Berlin Township and runs northwest past homes as well as some businesses, crossing CR 692.

At this intersection, the route enters Cherry Hill and passes near residential subdivisions before meeting CR 670 in commercial areas.

The road passes Cooper University Hospital and crosses Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and NJ Transit's River Line as it turns north onto a six-lane divided highway.

begins at a gravel road serving bungalows and a restaurant on Oyster Creek near the Great Bay in Galloway Township.

The two county routes have an interchange with the Garden State Parkway at its exit 44 before CR 561 Alt.

The route heads west northwest through mostly forested areas with some houses and farms adjacent to the road.

continues straight for another two miles (3.2 km) before it ends at CR 561 where it joins Moss Mill Road from sharp angle.

[7][6] The roadway begins as a four-lane divided road (two lanes in each direction) at US 9 heading northwest passing by a small shopping center.

Four other former alignments of CR 561 that are continued to be maintained by Camden County exist- one in Cedar Brook and three in the Gibbsboro area.