The highway travels in a southeast-northwest orientation from the unincorporated community of Fork northwest through Dillon to Little River and then curves northeasterly to the North Carolina state line, north of Little River, all completely within Dillon County.

The route heads northeast through the town of Floydale until it enters Dillon.

In town, the highway intersects SC 9, and the two routes form a concurrency to the northwest.

At the northern part of Little Rock, SC 57 departs the concurrency curving to the northeast until it meets its northern terminus, the North Carolina state line north of Little Rock.

The next year, it was extended north-northwest and north-northeast to the North Carolina state line, where it continued as Fairley Road.