The state highway begins at an unsignalized intersection with the divided US 23 in Pickaway Township.

The two-lane road travels east through farmland though there are two S-curves that bring the route further south.

In the unincorporated community of Elmwood, the road passes over a railroad via a bridge.

After the railroad bridge, SR 361 curves to the southeast and passes through more farmland before ending at a skewed T-intersection with SR 159 about 0.2 miles (0.32 km) north of the Pickaway-Ross County line and the village of Kingston.

[2] A segment of modern-day SR 361 running about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) from US 23 to the Logan Elm State Memorial was first designated in 1932 as an unnumbered gravel road.