The route, 1.51 miles (2.43 km) in length, is located in a rural section of the town of Brunswick.

The highway progresses northwestward, intersecting with County Route 129 (CR 129, Tamarac Road) before ascending in elevation and continuing out of Clums Corners as Brick Church Road.

NY 278 passes some farms and buildings as it traverses several small hills and intersects with the northern terminus of CR 133 (Moonlawn Road).

The route descends slightly from here, passing some more farms and the namesake brick church before terminating at an intersection with NY 7 (Hoosick Street) northeast of Brunswick Center.

[4][5] On June 13, 1904, the state of New York let a contract to improve what is now NY 278 and a roughly 2-mile (3.2 km) stretch of modern NY 2 to state highway standards.