NY 197 begins at an intersection with US 9 in the town of Moreau northeast of interchange 17 on the Adirondack Northway. NY 197 heads eastward as Reynolds Road as a primarily residential two-lane boulevard through Moreau. Entering the hamlet of Reynolds Corners, NY 197 intersects with NY 32, where the route becomes a slight more rural east of the intersection. The route passes to the south of the Tee-Bird Country Club in Moreau, bending to the northeast through Moreau, paralleling Amtrak's Ethan Allen Express route, intersecting with CR 28 and CR 29. After the junction with CR 28, NY 197 crosses the Hudson River and enters Washington County. Entering the village of Fort Edward, NY 197 crosses Rogers Island Park and becomes known as Bridge Street. Through Fort Edward, NY 197 intersects with US 4, in which form a concurrency to the east. Crossing under the Amtrak line, the two roads head southbound out of the downtown parts of the village before NY 197 forks to the northeast along the Champlain Canal as Argyle Street. NY 197 crosses eastward over the canal and into the town of Fort Edward. After the crossing, NY 197 becomes a rural two-lane roadway, passing eastward through farms. At the junction with CR 42 before darting to the southeast into the town of Argyle. NY 197 begins a winding pattern to the southeast, before turning gradually at a junction with CR 44 into the village of Argyle. In the village, the southern terminus of CR 43 intersects before NY 197 turns southbound into the downtown portion. Passing several residences, NY 197 gains the moniker of Main Street before terminating at an intersection with NY 40. Main Street continues southbound as NY 40 through the village.
History
NY 197 was assigned as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York. It initially began at NY 32 in Moreau and ended at NY 40 in Argyle. NY 197 was extended westward to US 9 in the early 1960s. On April 1, 1983, ownership and maintenance of NY 197 from US 4 to the eastern Fort Edward village line was transferred from the village of Fort Edward to the state of New York as part of a highway maintenance swap between the state of New York and Washington County.
