New York State Route 97

New York State Route 97 (NY 97) is a 70.53-mile-long (113.51 km) north–south scenic route in southern New York in the United States. It runs from U.S. Route 6 (US 6) and US 209 in Port Jervis to NY 17 (Future Interstate 86) in Hancock. Its most famous feature is the Hawk's Nest, a tightly winding section of the road along the Delaware River, located a few miles north of Port Jervis. NY 97 intersects NY 52 in Narrowsburg and indirectly connects to three Pennsylvania state highways due to its proximity to the state line.

The New York State Legislature created Route 3-a, an unsigned legislative route extending from Port Jervis to Hancock along the Delaware River, in 1911. Initially, it was a route in name only as the portion north of Port Jervis had yet to be built. Several parts of the route were constructed during the 1920s, and by the time the NY 97 designation was created as part of the 1930 renumbering of state highways in New York, only two sections were still unconstructed. The entirety of the highway officially opened on August 30, 1939, capping a construction project that cost $4 million (equivalent to $90.4 million in 2024) to complete.

NY 97 began in the city of Port Jervis and ended in Callicoon when it was assigned in 1930. At that time, the remainder of modern NY 97 was part of NY 17B. During May 1939, the state proposed a new designation of New York State Route 17L (NY 17L) for the section between Hancock and Bradley's Corners (south of Middletown). After opposition by a local committee, NY 97 was extended north to Hancock in June 1939, overlapping NY 17B. The latter route was truncated to Callicoon in the 1960s. It is also shared with New York State Bicycle Route 17, except between NY 17 and NY 268.

NY 97 begins at an intersection with US 6 and US 209 (Pike Street / East Main Street) in the city of Port Jervis. NY 97 is immediately concurrent with NY 42 as the route proceeds west on West Main Street, a two-lane commercial street. NY 42 and NY 97 soon split from West Main Street for Park Avenue in the Germantown section of Port Jervis, north of the Port Jervis Metro-North Railroad station. NY 42 and NY 97 soon leave Port Jervis for the town of Deerpark, paralleling the Norfolk Southern Southern Tier Line (ex-Erie Railroad Delaware Division) past and soon into the hamlet of Sparrowbush.

In Sparrowbush, NY 42 and NY 97 proceed west, passing north of the Eddy Farm Christian Retreat Center before bending northwest through the hamlet. After the intersection with Darraugh Lane, NY 42 forks off on a new right-of-way to the northeast, while NY 97 continues northwest on the current alignment. The route quickly bends north, intersecting with Hook Road, which connects to the nearby fishing area. NY 97 continues north, paralleling NY 42 and the Delaware River into the Hawk's Nest section of Deerpark. In Hawk's Nest, NY 97 runs alongside the side of several cliffs overlooking the Delaware. As the river bends to the west, NY 97 bends westward out of Hawk's Nest, bending southwest into Sullivan County.

Upon entering Sullivan County, NY 97 enters the hamlet of Sparrowbush, where it crosses over the Mongaup River. Now in the town of Lumberland, NY 97 soon bends to the west, running alongside the Delaware River, passing through the hamlet of Knight's Eddy before bending northwest. After another large bend to the southwest once again, NY 97 enters the hamlet of Pond Eddy. In Pond Eddy, NY 97 intersects with County Route 41 (CR 41), which proceeds north as High Road while crosses the nearby Pond Eddy Bridge into Shohola Township, Pennsylvania and the unsigned quadrant State Route 1011 on the opposite shore. NY 97 remains a two-lane residential road through Pond Eddy before leaving the hamlet further to the southwest.

Bending northwest once again, NY 97 continues alongside the river, entering a small commercial stretch through the town of Lumberland, before turning southwest once again. Just before an intersection with Tuthill Road, NY 97 bends northwest and away from the river before bending northeastward to the riverside once again. During another curve to the northwest, NY 97 enters the hamlet of Handsome Eddy, which consists of a few farms. After crossing into the town of Highland, it enters the hamlet of Barryville. In Barryville, NY 97 turns northwest and becomes a commercial street, intersecting with NY 55 and CR 11 in the center. Present as this junction is the Barryville–Shohola Bridge, which crosses the Delaware River and meets PA 434.

After NY 55, NY 97 continues west through Barryville, intersecting with the southern terminus of CR 21 (Yulan–Barryville Road), CR 21A and the western terminus of CR 11A (River Road). After leaving Barryville, NY 97 parallels CR 21 for a short distance, continuing west through the town of Highland alongside the Delaware River. The route bends southwestward once again, crossing past several homes as it winds through Highland. The route makes a short western stretch at an intersection with Old Minisink Ford Road before turning eastward into the hamlet of Minisink Ford. In Minisink Ford, NY 97 intersects with CR 168 (Minisink Battleground Road), which connects to Minisink Battleground County Park. NY 97 and CR 168 are concurrent for an extremely short distance, before CR 168 crosses the Delaware River on Roebling's Delaware Aqueduct into the borough of Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania.