California State Highway 152, or CA-152 near the latitudinal middle of California between Watsonville, junction California State Highway 1 and California State Highway 99 near Chowchilla. It has other important interstections with U.S. Highway 101 in Gilroy, California State Highway 156 near Hollister and Interstate 5 near Los Banos. It passes from the Monterey Bay area over the Coast Range through the mild Pacheco Pass into the San Joaquin Valley. With US 101 it gives the best access to and from Interstate 5 toward southern California and locations throughout the American Southwest to those in or near San José.

Between CA-156 and Interstate 5, most of CA-152 (the exception: in Los Banos) is close to freeway quality. West of CA-156, much of it is a meandering or even mountainous rural road.