The highway connects mostly rural areas of Letcher County with Fleming-Neon.

It crosses over Little Creek on the PVT Lonnie Meade Memorial Bridge just before it leaves the city limits of Fleming-Neon.

There, KY 317 curves to the north-northwest and crosses over Yonts Fork on the SFC Luther J. Potter Jr. Memorial Bridge.

It intersects the western terminus of KY 1469 (Long Fork Road) just before it crosses over Rockhouse Creek and curves to the west-southwest.

It then enters Deane, where it curves to the northwest and meets its northern terminus, an intersection with KY 7.