Its western terminus is at Public Square in downtown Cleveland.

It is one of 9 other routes to enter downtown Cleveland at Public Square.

The route heads eastward and becomes Buckeye Road, and then Shaker Boulevard, which is a divided boulevard with RTA commuter rail tracks (the "Rapid") between the east- and westbound lanes as it travels through Shaker Heights.

A short distance later, at the I-271 interchange, US 422 leaves the concurrency southward, and SR 87 continues east on Chagrin Boulevard through Woodmere Village and Pepper Pike, and then on Pinetree Road and South Woodland Road, intersects SR 91 (SOM Center Road) and enters Moreland Hills.

SR 87 enters Geauga County and becomes Kinsman Road for most of its remaining length, and intersects SR 306 (Chillicothe Road), passes by Punderson State Park, and intersects SR 44 (Ravenna Road) at Newbury.