The highway travels to the northwest and meets US 521 Truck/US 601 Truck (Boykin Road) just before leaving the city limits of Camden.

It travels through rural areas of the county, crosses over part of Lake Wateree, and enters Liberty Hill.

It continues traveling through rural areas until it intersects SC 200 (Great Falls Highway).

Almost immediately, they cross over the Catawba River on the Tom G. Mangum Bridge, where they enter Chester County.

Here, the business route ends, and SC 97 continues to the northwest, winding its way through mostly wooded areas.

A short distance after entering York County, it intersects SC 322 (W. McConnells Highway).

Just before leaving the city limits of Smyrna, SC 97 enters Cherokee County.

The road travels through Kings Creek and meets its northern terminus, an intersection with SC 5 (York Highway).

was a business route that was established between 1981 and 1987 as a renumbering of the SC 97 mainline through the main part of Chester.