The highway starts in Moscow as Bolshaya Lubyanka Street, Sretenka Street, Mira Avenue, and Yaroslavsky Highway.
M8 runs through the center of Velsk and further north along the left bank of the Vaga River, bypassing the town of Shenkursk (located on the right bank of the Vaga), and north of Bereznik - along the left bank of the Northern Dvina River.