Known for most of its length as River Road, the state highway runs 102.26 miles (164.57 km) from U.S. Route 250 (US 250) in Afton east to SR 161 in Richmond.

At the east end of the town, SR 6 enters Goochland County and briefly parallels the Rivanna Subdivision through the valley of the James River.

The state highway veers away from the river and meets the northern end of SR 45 (Cartersville Road) at Georges Tavern.

At the north end of the county seat, the state highway joins US 522 (Sandy Hook Road) in a concurrency and heads south past the Western Campus of J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College.

SR 6 and US 522 pass the county offices and the Virginia Correctional Center for Women before US 522 heads south across the James River as Maidens Road.

At Richmond Country Club, River Road splits to the south and the state highway continues east as Patterson Avenue.

SR 6 crosses over Interstate 195 (Beltline Expressway), which is accessed via Thompson Street, which the state highway intersects as it shifts to two-lane Kensington Avenue.