The highway is a secondary route in northeastern Wisconsin that directly connects Rhinelander, Eagle River and the central and eastern parts of Michigan's Upper Peninsula with Wausau, Wisconsin and points south and west.

From there, WIS 17 heads northeast, passing the Prairie Dells area and crossing several county routes in Bloomville and Gleason.

[3] The route then turns north for seven miles (11 km) and enters Oneida County[2] heading north another five miles (8.0 km) and joining US 8 east and WIS 47 south just south of Rhinelander.

Four miles north, WIS 17 turns east off US 45/WIS 32 and heads northeast, entering the Nicolet National Forest and passing through Phelps.

[5] CR 436 meets Forest Highway 16 a short distance across the Michigan state line.

[7] This alignment was removed from the state trunkline books when the new route was opened and is now a city street.