The route, named Hyde Park Boulevard for its entire length, heads north initially as a city-maintained, undivided four-lane highway; after two blocks, the roadway widens and becomes maintained by the New York State Department of Transportation.

After five blocks, NY 61 intersects with Ferry Avenue, a one-way street carrying southbound U.S. Route 62 (US 62), in the area of the Niagara Falls Courthouse.

For the next dozen blocks, NY 61 acts as the divider between the residential neighborhoods of downtown Niagara Falls and the open spaces of Hyde Park, passing Sal Maglie Stadium as it heads north.

[3] North of Ontario Avenue, the buildings surrounding NY 61 become more commercial and industrial in nature as the route approaches the CSX Transportation Niagara Yard.

[2] In 1962, the bridge carrying Hyde Park Boulevard over Gill Creek at Walnut Avenue, 41 feet (12 m) in length and originally built in 1950, was reconstructed.