The highway runs east–west through northeast Wisconsin, passing through Waupaca, Shawano, and Brown counties.

The highway is maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.

The route leaves Clintonville and runs through eastern Waupaca County before crossing into Shawano County.

The highway runs through southern Shawano County and passes through the community of Navarino before meeting Highway 47 near Briarton.

[2] The original route of Highway 156 ran from the intersection of Wisconsin Highway 22 and U.S. Route 45 in Clintonville to Nichols via Leeman.