M-96 starts at an intersection between King Highway and Business Spur I-94 (BS I-94) east of downtown Kalamazoo.

From this point, it follows King Highway over and then along the Kalamazoo River through a suburban residential area.

The highway then follows Michigan Avenue east through Comstock and north of Morrow Lake.

Here the highway runs along the edge of the city of Battle Creek through more residential areas and crosses the I-194/M-66 freeway next to the Riverside County Club.

M-96 passes the FireKeepers Casino Hotel, which is located just east of the ending of BL I-94, between 11 and 12 Mile Roads.

As a part of these maintenance responsibilities, the department tracks the volume of traffic that uses the roadways under its jurisdiction.

[6] The only section of M-96 that has been listed on the National Highway System (NHS), is in the Battle Creek area between the western BL I-94/M-37 junction and the I-94 interchange.

[2][3] In 1936, the Alternate US 12 trunkline was designated through the Battle Creek area along a section of highway that had previously been part of US 12.

[21][22] M-96 was reextended back to Battle Creek along Dickman Road and Fort Custer Highway from Augusta east in 1971.