The state highway runs 5.05 miles (8.13 km) between intersections with U.S. Route 1 (US 1) in Fort Belvoir and Hybla Valley.

SR 235 forms a southeast loop off of US 1 through the community of Mount Vernon in southeastern Fairfax County, connecting US 1 with Mount Vernon, the plantation home of George Washington, and the southern end of the George Washington Memorial Parkway.

SR 235 begins at an intersection with US 1 (Richmond Highway) just east of Fort Belvoir opposite the entrance to Woodlawn, a portion of George Washington's estate that also contains the 20th century Pope-Leighey House.

SR 235 continues east, curving toward the south and intersects another Old Mill Road and SR 623, now named Old Mount Vernon Road, before reaching the Mount Vernon plantation, a National Historic Landmark.

The state highway passes Mount Vernon High School and meets SR 623 (Old Mount Vernon Road) on a tangent before reaching its northern terminus at US 1 (Richmond Highway) in Hybla Valley.