From its western terminus, SH‑38 heads east through a rural area between sections of the Curlew National Grassland.

It takes a more crooked route east of Holbrook, intersecting Arbon Valley Road.

After entering Malad City, the route turns eastward, passing through a mixed residential and business district.

SH‑38 leaves the Malad City limits before reaching its eastern terminus with I‑15 at a diamond interchange.

[1][2] Between 1927 and 1937, the SH‑38 designation was assigned to the former SH-32 that began in Roy and headed east and then northeast to Arbon, north to Pauline along modern-day Arbon Highway and then north on the modern-day Bannock Highway to Crystal, and on to terminate in at the former routing of US-91 in Portneuf.