It traverses the Steenberg mountains and passes through the Silvermine Nature Reserve.

[1] Ou Kaapse Weg begins at a T-junction with Steenberg Road in Westlake, close to the southern end of the M3 expressway.

It rapidly ascends the northern face of the Steenberg mountains, through two hairpin bends, to the summit at an elevation of 315 metres (1,033 ft).

The pass then descends along the valley of the Silvermine River, passing by Noordhoek to end at a junction with Kommetjie Road (M6 road), which provides access to Kommetjie, Fish Hoek and other places in the Fish Hoek Valley.

In 2012, Ou Kaapse Weg suffered severe traffic congestion because it was used as an alternative route to avoid construction work on Main Road between Muizenberg and Fish Hoek.