[3] The highway continues south through rural Pierce County, following a Ballard Terminal Railroad line and the Puyallup River.

[4] It serves the community of Alderton and joins the Pierce County Foothills Trail, traveling southeast from Puyallup.

The highway travels east, crossing South Prairie Creek and passing White River High School, before ending at an intersection with SR 165 southwest of Buckley.

[17] The route of the highway has not seen a major revision since 1972;[18] however, WSDOT repaved the roadway and added guardrails between Orting and Buckley in 2008.

[19] The deteriorating McMillin Bridge was replaced by WSDOT with a two-lane, 40-foot-wide (12 m) span over the Puyallup River that opened in September 2015.