SR 157 begins at an
intersection with
SR 48, northwest of
Menlo, in the community of
Cloudland, in Chattooga County. The road heads northeast into Walker County. It curves to the northwest and heads to the north-northeast. The highway has a brief foray into Dade County, before re-entering Walker County. Continuing on its north-northeast trek, it intersects
SR 136, southeast of
Cloudland Canyon State Park. SR 157 continues to the north-northeast and curves to the north-northwest to re-enter Dade County. The two routes run
concurrent to the northeast. On the southwestern edge of
Lookout Mountain, they cut across the eastern edge of
Covenant College. They briefly run along the Dade–Walker county line, with SR 157 splitting off onto McFarland Road, back into Walker County. It briefly heads south on Lula Lake Road, before heading east on Red Riding Hood Trail. It curves to the northeast until it meets its northern terminus,
Tennessee State Route 58, at the
Tennessee state line. ==Major intersections==