From its western terminus at exit 333 on I-75 in Dalton, SR 52 runs due east along Walnut Avenue into and through downtown Dalton in Whitfield County, curving northeast at Walnut Square Mall to come to its junction with US 76, where it becomes concurrent with US 76.

The routes climb from around 800 feet elevation to above 2,500 feet, before curving to the southeast, passing into and out of Gilmer County twice for very short portions, before finally crossing and staying in Gilmer County, and forming part of the southern border of the Chattahoochee National Forest, then descending into Ellijay.

[1][2][3] The following portions of SR 52 are part of the National Highway System, a system of routes determined to be the most important for the nation's economy, mobility, and defense: The Georgia Department of Transportation average annual daily traffic (AADT) numbers for the year 2011 show a variety of average daily traffic load numbers as the route travels across northern Georgia.

[3] The first portion of the roadway that is signed as SR 52 today makes its appearance on Georgia state road maps in 1920, when the 13.4 miles (21.6 km) portion of the current route from its western terminus to Chatsworth, which is concurrent with US 76, was already in existence, and signed as part of SR2.

In addition, the 15.6 miles (25.1 km) portion of the current route from Dahlonega, southeast to where it intersects today with US 129, was extant and signed as SR 43 at the time.

[7] By the beginning of 1932, the western portion of the route was extended to now feature a new 22.6 miles (36.4 km) section from Chatsworth to Ellijay, also signed as SR 2.

[10] However, it was not until early in 1942 that the section of the route from Ellijay east to Dahlonega, and continuing to US 129, had been re-designated as SR 52, the first appearance of this designation in northwestern and northern Georgia.

In addition, a 6.2 miles (10.0 km) portion of roadway had been graded and designated as part of SR 52, running southeast from US 23/SR 13 in Lula to Gillsville in Banks County.