It is a 5.347-mile (8.605 km) road in Weber County, starting as a minor arterial in the west and increasing to a major collector road in the east that runs from Hooper through Roy to the northwest gate of Hill Air Force Base.

The route's western terminus is in Hooper at the intersection of SR-37 (5900 West) and 5500 South.

State Route 97 was originally created in 1965 as a short (0.25 miles (0.40 km)) major access road between SR-106/US-91 (now I-15) and Hill Air Force Base.

By 2000, a construction project was completed that connected the two roads at a common intersection by shifting the east end of SR-98 south by a block.

In response, the state legislature consolidated the two routes by deleting SR-98 and transferring it to SR-97, resulting in the current alignment.