Route 248 begins at a
diverging diamond interchange with U.S. Route 65 at the northern terminus of Business US 65. The highway proceeds west through northern Branson as the Shepherd of the Hills Expressway, which despite its name is a four-lane boulevard with no controlled-access interchanges. It eventually turns north as a two-lane highway and leaves Branson (Shepherd of the Hills Expressway continues westward as a separate highway from an intersection near Kirby Van Burch's theater). North of Branson, it intersects
Route 76 (the Ozark Mountain Highroad). Seven miles north of Branson, it begins a five-mile (8 km)
concurrency with
U.S. Route 160. At Reeds Spring Junction, the road leaves US 160 and begins a short concurrency (about one mile) with
Route 13. Route 248 continues west to Reeds Spring, where it joins
Routes 265 and
413. The three roads will be united to Galena. This section of highway is a windy, hilly, two-lane highway making switchbacks through the
Ozark Mountains. The entire section of highway is marked with no-passing stripes. At Galena is the
Y-Bridge, placed on the
National Register of Historic Places (closed to vehicles). Just north of the bridge is the western terminus of
Route 176. Route 248/265/413 turns west, crossing
James River. Route 248 then leaves the concurrency, heading into downtown Galena. The highway then leaves Galena on a northwesterly direction. At
Crossroads (five miles west of Galena) is an intersection with
Route 173. Twelve miles west of Crossroads, Route 248 intersects
Route 39 one mile (1.6 km) south of
Jenkins. The highway becomes fairly straight, though still hilly as it heads into Cassville. Route 248 ends in downtown Cassville at the concurrency of Routes 76, 86, and 112. ==History==