The road runs from the village of Jondal to the town of Odda.

[1] The route branches off from Norwegian County Road 5098 and follows the coast of the Folgefonna Peninsula.

It runs north along the southeast side of the Hardanger Fjord to Utne and then turns south, running along the west side of the South Fjord to the town of Odda before meeting Norwegian National Road 13.

[2] Before January 1, 2010, the route was a Norwegian national road.

[4] The protected part of County Road 550 was built between 1874 and 1965.