It travels through portions of Telfair, Dodge, and Laurens counties in the central part of the U.S. state of Georgia.

It connects Lumber City with the Dublin, Georgia, micropolitan area, via Jacksonville and Eastman.

SR 117 begins at an intersection with US 23/US 341/SR 27 (Golden Isles Highway), in Lumber City, within Telfair County.

It heads to the southwest, and intersects the southern terminus of SR 149 Connector (Big Horse Creek Road).

Just inside the city limits is an interchange with Interstate 16 (I-16; Jim Gillis Historic Savannah Parkway).

They leave the city limits, cross over a Georgia Central Railway line, and curve to the north and intersect US 80/SR 19/SR 26 southeast of the W. H. 'Bud' Barron Airport.