The route begins at US 82 at Marysville in western
Union County near the
Columbia County line. A minor route in the rural
Arkansas Timberlands, almost all of the route saw an average daily traffic count of under 1000 vehicles per day in 2014. The highway runs briefly through the northeast corner of the county, and does not have any state highway junctions in Columbia County. Entering the southwest corner of
Ouachita County, Highway 57 enters
Stephens, where it intersects
US 79. A brief overlap with US 79 begins northward toward
Camden, but Highway 57 turns west north of downtown Stephens. Continuing north, Highway 57 has intersections with
Highway 332 at
Troy,
US 278, and
Highway 76/
Highway 387 near
White Oak Lake State Park. The route intersects
Highway 24 in
Chidester, where it terminates. ==History==