Originally, it ran much farther to the north than its current terminus, passing from the Oklahoma–Kansas border south of Coldwater north through Greensburg, Kinsley, western sections of Pawnee County, La Crosse, Hays, Plainville, Stockton, and Phillipsburg to a northern terminus just northeast of the town of Woodruff. It terminated at K-22, which was later known as U.S. Route 83, close to the border with Nebraska.
The original path of the route was much farther north than its current location, passing through various towns and ending at a point near the border with Nebraska. The route was later reconfigured to its present terminus.