The road then heads north into central Chama along Terrace Avenue.

NM 17 then exits Chama and heads northeastward, passing through a wooded area in northern Rio Arriba County and running adjacent to the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad.

The road then reaches the Colorado state line, where it becomes Colorado State Highway 17, heading north towards Cumbres Pass.

Then in the 1950s it was renamed NM 17 to match Colorado State Highway 17 (SH 17).

Geographic data related to New Mexico State Road 17 at OpenStreetMap