The highway runs through or near the towns of Rhome, New Fairview, Decatur, Alvord, and Sunset before separating in southern Bowie.

The highway has a mostly rural route, running through western Montague County, before crossing the Red River into Oklahoma.

The 1936 Official Map of the Highway System of Texas clearly shows the route labeled both as US 81 and SH 2.

In 1940 US 287 was extended south into Texas, and a 67-mile (108 km) stretch from Fort Worth northwest to Bowie was cosigned with US 81.

[2] The summer 1941 Texas Highway Map shows this pairing, and the current southern terminus of US 81 is still cosigned with US 287.