SR 6 begins at US 250 (Rockfish Gap Turnpike) on the slope of Afton Mountain, the local name for this section of the
Blue Ridge Mountains, about east of
Rockfish Gap. The state highway heads south as Afton Mountain Road, which descends the mountain curvaceously and passes through the village of Afton, where the highway crosses over a
CSX rail line. At the bottom of the descent, SR 6 meets
SR 151 (Critzers Shop Road) in the village of
Avon. The two highways head south as Rockfish Valley Highway through the namesake valley. Just south of
Greenfield, SR 6 leaves SR 151 and heads east as River Road, which follows the
Rockfish River through a mountainous area south to US 29 (Thomas Nelson Highway). SR 6 heads east along the four-lane
divided highway between several mountains before splitting to the southeast as Irish Road. The state highway crosses over
Norfolk Southern Railway's
Washington District in
Faber and enters
Albemarle County at a gap between Shiloh Mountain and Butler Mountain. SR 6 continues east along a mountainous area where the highway passes through the communities of
Damon, Tillmans,
Esmont, and
Porters. The state highway enters an area of more gentle terrain on its way to Scottsville, which is on the border between Albemarle and
Fluvanna counties. At the north end of the town, SR 6 joins
SR 20 in a concurrency on Valley Street. In the center of town, SR 6 heads east as Main Street while SR 20 crosses the
James River. The state highway parallels the river and CSX's
Rivanna Subdivision through the town before turning north and ascending out of the river valley. SR 6 continues east as River Road through
Kidds Store and
Cohasset to
Fork Union, home of
Fork Union Military Academy. The state highway runs concurrently with
US 15 (James Madison Highway) northeast from Fork Union before diverging at
Dixie. SR 6 passes through
Holmhead and crosses the
Rivanna River shortly before passing through the town of
Columbia, where the highway is named St. James Street. At the east end of the town, SR 6 enters
Goochland County and briefly parallels the Rivanna Subdivision through the valley of the James River. The state highway veers away from the river and meets the northern end of
SR 45 (Cartersville Road) at
Georges Tavern. SR 6 approaches the river again just before arriving in
Goochland. At the north end of the
county seat, the state highway joins
US 522 (Sandy Hook Road) in a concurrency and heads south past the Western Campus of
J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College. SR 6 and US 522 pass the county offices and the
Virginia Correctional Center for Women before US 522 heads south across the James River as Maidens Road. SR 6 heads through the villages of
Manakin and Sabot, between which SR 6 expands to a four-lane divided highway. At Richmond Country Club, River Road splits to the south and the state highway continues east as Patterson Avenue. SR 6 meets the
SR 288 freeway at a
cloverleaf interchange before crossing Tuckahoe Creek into suburban
Henrico County. The state highway intersects Gaskins Road, which heads north as
SR 157, and Parham Road in the suburb of
Tuckahoe. At Glenside Drive, which leads north to
Monument Avenue, SR 6 veers southeast and enters the city of
Richmond. The state highway becomes an undivided highway just before intersecting
SR 197 (Malvern Avenue). SR 6 crosses over
Interstate 195 (Beltline Expressway), which is accessed via Thompson Street, which the state highway intersects as it shifts to two-lane Kensington Avenue. The state highway continues through the
Museum District until it reaches its eastern terminus at
SR 161 (
Boulevard) one block north of the
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. ==Major intersections==