The route heads northeastward from the intersection, passing by the historic Stephen Storm House at the outskirts of the hamlet of Claverack-Red Mills and into a rural portion of the town.

At an intersection with Roxbury Road, NY 217 passes the Columbia Golf and Country Club to the west and begins to parallel Claverack Creek.

At an intersection with Maple Street, the highway comes within view of Summit Lake, a small water body in the center of Philmont.

[3] East of the village of Philmont, NY 217 continues into the town of Hillsdale, with the highway winding its way through a mixture of dense woods and open fields.

[3] The north–south roadway connecting the hamlets of Claverack-Red Mills and Mellenville (both located within the town of Claverack) was originally designated as the southernmost part of NY 66 in the mid-1920s.