Route 1 is a short highway with its northern terminus at Route 152 north of Gladstone and a southern terminus at Route 210 in North Kansas City. Because of annexation, Route 1 goes north out of North Kansas City and enters Kansas City proper before entering Gladstone.

Route 1 begins at Route 210 (Armour Road) in North Kansas City as Vernon Street. It heads north along Prather Road into Kansas City proper. Before crossing Parvin Road, the route curves northeast and then curves back to due north, at which point it becomes Antioch Road. Route 1 then has an interchange with I-35 and an intersection with U.S. Route 69 (Vivion Road). The route crosses Englewood Road into the city limits of Gladstone, continuing on from N.E. 64th Street as N. Prospect Avenue. It then continues due north to N.E. 72nd Street, and curves east, then north, becoming N. Indiana Avenue. The route ends at an interchange with Route 152.

The highway was one of the original 1922 highways in Missouri and it originally ran from the Iowa state line north of Rock Port to the Arkansas state line south of Noel. In 1926, with the creation of the U.S. Highway system, Route 1 became part of U.S. Route 71 and U.S. Route 59. The original Route 1 is now:

Route 1 originally had several branches (all decommissioned):

The entire route is in Clay County.