It runs from U.S. Route 54 (US-54) near El Dorado northward to US-24 in Manhattan, passing through the Flint Hills.

[2] From its beginnings at US-54 east of El Dorado, K-177 heads northward for .3 miles (0.48 km) then crosses Bird Creek.

It continues north for 1.8 miles (2.9 km) then crosses the Satchel Creek leg of El Dorado Lake.

The highway then crosses a BNSF Railway track, then curves northeast and begins to parallel it along with I-35 and Kansas Turnpike.

In the city, the highway turns north at junction with Stony Creek Road.

K-177 curves north at road and enters the city of Matfield Green as Reed Street.

The highway then runs alongside South Fork Cottonwood River for about .4 miles (0.64 km), as it crosses Nickel Creek.

The highway then crosses Rock Creek and passes to the west of the unincorporated community of Bazaar.

[7] It exits the city then crosses Fox Creek and reaches an interchange with US-50 as it curves north.

It continues north for about 2.8 miles (4.5 km) then enters the city of Council Grove as Neosho Street.

Here K-177 turns east anb begins to follow US-56 as the two cross the Neosho River.

[9] It exits the city and begins to run along the east shore of Council Grove Lake.

It then crosses West Branch Mill Creek then enters into Geary County.

[11] It continues north into the county and after about six miles (9.7 km) begins to curve to the northwest then intersects K-18.

Along the byway there are rolling hills and some of the only tallgrass prairie left in North America.

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) tracks the traffic levels on its highways, and in 2018, they determined that on average the traffic varied from 280 vehicles per day slightly southeast of Cassoday to just over 13200 vehicles per day between K-18 and US-24.

K-177 also connects to the National Highway System at its southern terminus (US-54), and its junctions with I-35 by Cassoday and US-50 by Strong City.

On January 14, 1957, K-213 was established from K-13, where it turned east and crossed the Big Blue River, north to Randolph.