The highway is known as Slide Mountain Road.

The southern terminus of SR 878 is at the eastern base of Slide Mountain, in the mountains of the Carson Range near Lake Tahoe, at the parking lot for the Winters Creek Lodge of the Mount Rose Ski Resort.

From here, the highway curves around the northeastern side of the mountain, traveling about one mile (1.6 km) to its northern terminus at an intersection with Mount Rose Highway (SR 431), not far from Mount Rose.

[2] Slide Mountain Road was first approved for the SR 878 designation on July 1, 1976.

[3] The entire route is in Washoe County.