For the majority of its route, Desert Inn Road is a regular street with residential, commercial, and industrial areas along it, but it features a 2.5-mile expressway portion in the Las Vegas Strip with grade separations and partial interchanges officially called the Desert Inn Road Super Arterial (also commonly referred to as the Desert Inn Expressway or DIE), acting as a border for Paradise and Winchester.

[1][2] Desert Inn Road is disconnected from all freeways it crosses, with bridges over Clark County 215 (CC 215; Bruce Woodbury Beltway) and I-15 and is overpassed by I-11/US 93/US 95.

The Desert Inn Expressway begins with driveways and minor roads connecting to it before forming a partial interchange (eastbound exit, westbound entrance) at Rancho Drive.

The expressway then crosses a signalized intersection with Paradise Road before it passes under the Las Vegas Monorail and Las Vegas Convention Center before terminating at the intersection with University Center Drive and Joe W. Brown Drive where Desert Inn Road continues east as a standard arterial road.

Eventually, Desert Inn Road passes under I-11/US 93/US 95 and then intersects NV 582 (Boulder Highway) where it continues north as Lamb Boulevard, creating a short gap in the route.