State Route 61 is a 18-mile-long (29 km) route in the west-central part of the state. The southern terminus of the route is at its junction with U.S. Highway 80 at Uniontown. The northern terminus of the route is at its junction with State Route 14 at Greensboro.

State Route 61 travels through Alabama’s Black Belt region, perhaps the poorest area of the state. From its origin at Uniontown, the route passes through a sparsely populated region along a two-lane road in a general northward trajectory. The route takes a slight turn towards the northwest as it approaches its northern terminus at Greensboro.