The state highway heads northeast as two-lane undivided Briery Branch Road, which crosses Hone Quarry Run and follows Briery Branch east through its gap in Narrow Back Mountain. SR 257 veers away from the creek, exits the national forest, and enters the Shenandoah Valley.
The state highway's route is described as a northeast direction on two-lane undivided Briery Branch Road, crossing Hone Quarry Run and following Briery Branch east through its gap in Narrow Back Mountain. SR 257 then departs from the creek, leaving the national forest, and entering the Shenandoah Valley.