MD 282 is the primary east–west highway of the Sassafras Neck between the Sassafras River and Bohemia River, connecting Crystal Beach, Earleville, and Warwick with MD 213 in Cecilton in southern Cecil County.

The state highway starts heading north but curves southeast as two-lane undivided Crystal Beach Road along Pearce Neck.

MD 282 curves south and passes southwest of St. Stephen's Episcopal Church while being paralleled by Old Crystal Beach Road.

In Earleville, MD 282 makes a sweeping curve to the east, passing the intersection of Grove Neck Road, which leads to the historic estates Rose Hill and Mount Harmon.

At the east end of Warwick, the highway reaches its eastern terminus at the Delaware state line.

The highway continues east as DE 299 (Warwick Road) toward the town of Middletown.

[6] In 1945, Cecil County proposed MD 283 be extended west to the Elk River and MD 282 be extended west 2 miles (3.2 km) toward the Sassafras River in the third year of a three-year post–World War II road construction program.

MD 282 had two auxiliary routes assigned to pieces of the highway bypassed by the relocation at the east end of the sweeping curve in Earleville in 1966 and 1967.