Route 7 is a state highway with its northern terminus at U.S. Route 24 in northeast Independence and its southern terminus at Interstate 44 southeast of Richland (near the town of Laquey which it doesn't quite reach). The section between Harrisonville (at a junction with U.S. Route 71) and Clinton (at a junction with Route 13) provides an important link for traffic between Springfield and Kansas City.

The route begins at Interstate 44, exit 150, as a two-lane highway. It then heads northwest into Richland, intersecting with Route 133. From there, it continues northwest to a concurrency with Route 5, starting three miles south of Camdenton. In Camdenton, it crosses U.S. 54, and continues northwest, crossing the Lake of the Ozarks. After crossing the lake, Route 5 diverges north, and Route 7 heads west to another concurrency with U.S. 65. The combined route crosses Harry S. Truman Reservoir and the Osage River and then enters Warsaw, where the concurrency ends; Route 7 heads west and crosses more arms of the Truman Reservoir. At Clinton, it intersects Route 13 and Route 52, and then becomes a four-lane highway, running northwest to U.S. 71 in Harrisonville. After a brief concurrency with U.S. 71, Route 7 heads north as a two-lane highway, crossing Route 58 in Pleasant Hill, Route 150, and U.S. 50. In Blue Springs, it crosses U.S. 40 and I-70. Continuing north, Route 7 is the eastern terminus of Route 78, before itself terminating at U.S. 24 in Independence.

Before 1926, Route 7 was Route 63.