Iowa 17's southern end is near Granger in Dallas County at a freeway interchange with Iowa Highway 141, and its northern terminus is at an intersection with U.S. Highway 18 at the Kossuth-Hancock county line near Wesley.

It proceeds north from U.S. 30 and has a one-mile (1.6 km) overlap with Iowa Highway 175 in Stanhope.

They overlap going west from Webster City, then Iowa 17 turns north to go through Eagle Grove.

It passes through Renwick and Corwith, then ends on the border separating Hancock and Kossuth Counties east of Wesley.

By 1930, the only paved section of what was by then called Iowa 60 was the southernmost 20 miles (32 km) from Des Moines to south of Madrid.

By 1976, paving was completed and the southern end of the route was converted into an interchange with Iowa 141.