It is a scenic route that runs 21.74 miles (34.99 km) through the Pachaug State Forest.

[3] As it enters the town of Voluntown, Route 49 then becomes Westerly Road, while still on a northward track.

[1] North of the overlap, Route 49 continues as Ekonk Hill Road, crossing the Pachaug River and running through the Pachaug State Forest, before reaching its end at Route 14A in the Sterling Hill Historic District of the town of Sterling.

[4] In the 1920s, the road from the northeast corner of Stonington (at New England Route 17) heading north through North Stonington and Voluntown to the Sterling Hill section of Sterling was designated as State Highway 216.

Since state budget constraints preclude adding more police, one idea was to repaint the fog line so that the lanes are 11 feet (3.4 m) wide.