The southern half of the road runs along the river Tovdalselva and the lake Herefossfjorden, and it is located in a fault zone called the Kristiansand-Porsgrunn grabenen.

The Sørlandsbanen railway line follows the road for about 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) in northern Birkenes and Froland.

The road passes through these villages in Nissedal: Treungen, Kyrkjebygda, and Nordbygdi.

It then heads north through the municipalities of Birkenes, Froland, Åmli, Nissedal, and Kviteseid.

These are municipalities that tourists do not always find easily, so marketing the road has helped to bring people there.