The southern terminus of SR 878 is at the eastern base of Slide Mountain, in the mountains of the Carson Range near Lake Tahoe, at the parking lot for the Winters Creek Lodge of the Mount Rose Ski Resort. From this point, one can see Washoe Valley and Washoe Lake in the distance. From here, the highway curves around the northeastern side of the mountain, traveling about to its northern terminus at an intersection with Mount Rose Highway (SR 431), not far from Mount Rose.