The highway begins in the town of Clear Creek, Utah and heads north as a two-lane undivided highway. The route then reaches SR-264 and turns east on the Eccles Canyon Scenic Byway as a continuation of SR-264. Past this intersection, the road turns north-northwest and soon enters Scofield. Past Scofield, the route continues northwesterly to pass the west shore of the Scofield Reservoir. On the northwestern side of the Reservoir, SR-96 passes on the Scofield Dam and then heads north, north-northwest, and due east to terminate at US-6, south of Soldier Summit and northeast of Helper.