Steuben County

NY 36 begins at the Pennsylvania state line in Troupsburg,^[4] where it continues south into Pennsylvania as PA 249. Heading north from the state line in Steuben County, the route follows Troups Creek northward through rural Troupsburg on its way to the equally isolated town of Jasper, where it meets NY 417 at a junction 1.25 miles (2.01 km) west of the small hamlet of Jasper. NY 36 joins NY 417 here, following the east–west route to the western fringe of the community. At a T-intersection just outside the hamlet, the two routes split, with NY 417 turning to the right (eastward) toward Corning and NY 36 making a left-hand turn to continue northward toward the town of Canisteo. Across the town line, NY 36 turns toward the northwest and serves the hamlet of South Canisteo, which marks the southern end of both Colonel Hills Creek and a valley formed by the waterway.^[5]

NY 36 north at NY 21 in Hornell

The route continues generally northerly through the creek valley to the outskirts of the village of Canisteo, where the creek valley gives way to a larger one surrounding the nearby Canisteo River. At this point, NY 36 curves sharply to the northwest, passing over Colonel Hills and Bennetts Creeks prior to entering the village as Main Street. In the center of Canisteo, it intersects the northern terminus of NY 248. Past NY 248, the route leaves the village and continues northwest along the lightly populated banks of the Canisteo River to the city of Hornell,^[5] which NY 36 traverses by way of a divided highway built c. 1979 to bypass Hornell along its western edge.^[6] (Prior to construction of this arterial and the new Canisteo-Hornell route, NY 36 followed Dineen and McBurney Roads north of Canisteo, along an abandoned and unenlargeable stretch along the Canisteo River, entering Hornell via Canisteo Street.) NY 36 heads north through the residential southern half of the city to Hornell's commercial central district, the site of a junction with Main Street and NY 21.^[5]

For the next 2.5 miles (4.0 km), NY 21 overlaps with NY 36, following it through Hornell's residential northern half, across the Canisteo River, and past pockets of development in the surrounding town of Hornellsville to a junction roughly 0.5 miles (0.8 km) south of NY 36's interchange with Interstate 86 (I-86) and NY 17. (Prior to the construction of the arterial, these routes ran along Seneca Street in Hornell and Seneca Road in North Hornell.) NY 21 breaks from NY 36 and proceeds to the northeast along an unnamed road; NY 36, however, continues along the bypass to I-86 and NY 17, where the two roads meet at I-86 and NY 17 exit 34 via a full cloverleaf interchange. Past the interchange, the divided highway narrows into a two-lane, undivided highway that continues through lightly populated areas of the town to the village of Arkport.^[5]

In Arkport, NY 36 intersects the eastern terminus of NY 961F, a reference route erroneously signed as a touring route, at West Avenue.^[5] Formerly, this intersection hosted the southern terminus of NY 70, which originally followed what is now NY 961F northwest to Canaseraga.^[7] North of Arkport, the Canisteo River makes a turn to the west while NY 36 continues to the northeast, running along the eastern edge of both a marshy area and an extension of the Canisteo River valley. In the town of Dansville, NY 36 intersects the current eastern terminus of NY 70 at an intersection located 5 miles (8 km) north of Arkport and due east of Canaseraga. From here northward, the highway takes on a more northeasterly routing as it crosses the northwest corner of the county, where it runs along the west side of Stony Brook State Park and briefly enters the park before emerging from the area just south of the Livingston County line.^[5]

Livingston County

The eastern terminus of NY 436 at NY 36 in Dansville

Across the county line, NY 36 enters the town of North Dansville and the village of Dansville located within. At the southern village line, NY 36 meets the southbound entrance and exit ramps for I-390 at exit 4 and gains the name Clara Barton Street. Due to the angle at which I-390 crosses NY 36 here, the northbound entrance and exit ramps are located another 0.5 miles (0.8 km) to the north. The route follows Clara Barton Street north into the village center, where it gradually curves northeastward ahead of a junction with Main Street (NY 63) in Dansville's business district. NY 36 turns northwest here, following NY 63 along Main Street for two blocks before returning west on Ossian Street. The highway turns again just six blocks later to follow Dock and Franklin streets northwest toward Dansville Municipal Airport. Ossian Street, meanwhile, continues west as NY 436, which passes under I-390 a short distance to the west.^[5]

Between NY 436 and I-390 exit 6 near Groveland, NY 36 closely parallels I-390, remaining within 0.5 miles (0.8 km) or less of it for the entire distance. Just outside Dansville in the shadow of Dansville Municipal Airport, NY 36 connects to I-390 a second time by way of McWhorter Road and exit 5. Outside of Dansville, the highway heads northwestward across gradually less developed areas as it traverses the west side of a wide, flat valley known locally as the flats. After 8 miles (13 km), it intersects the western terminus of NY 258 (named Flats Road) at an intersection situated 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the hamlet of Groveland on the West Sparta–Groveland town line. Not far to the northwest is I-390 exit 6, the third and final meeting between I-390 and NY 36.^[5]

NY 408 joins NY 36 for one block in Mount Morris, beginning in the foreground at State Street and ending in the background at Chapel Street.

NY 36 continues on, passing through the hamlet of Sonyea and serving the Groveland Correctional Facility on its way into the town of Mount Morris and the village of the same name, where it becomes Main Street in the latter. It continues through the mostly residential community to the business district in the heart of the village, which NY 408 enters from the southwest on Chapel Street and leaves to the northeast on State Street. In between Chapel and State streets, NY 36 and NY 408 overlap for one block along Main Street. Immediately north of Mount Morris, NY 36 passes through the northern tip of Letchworth State Park and crosses the Genesee River, which separates the towns of Mount Morris and Leicester. As the route heads north into Leicester, it begins to leave the flats in favor of a more northwesterly alignment that leads it into the village of Leicester.^[5]

Now named Mount Morris Road, NY 36 enters the east side of the small village, intersecting with U.S. Route 20A (US 20A) and NY 39 at Main Street. NY 36 turns west onto Main Street, joining US 20A and NY 39 for one block in order to reach York Road, which carries the route out of the village and across sparsely populated areas to the York hamlet of Greigsville, centered on the highway's second junction with NY 63. After another 6 miles (10 km) of open, rural surroundings—save for the hamlet of York at the midpoint of the segment—NY 36 has a junction with US 20 in the hamlet of Fraser. The route continues on, eventually reaching the sprawling village of Caledonia, where the route joins with NY 5 for three blocks along Main Street. At the village's center, NY 36 turns north onto North Street, which carries the highway through the northern fringe of the village and into Monroe County.^[5]

Monroe County

Northern terminus of NY 36 at NY 31 in Ogden

Across the county line from Caledonia is the Wheatland hamlet of Mumford, where NY 36 crosses over the Rochester and Southern Railroad—which the highway has loosely paralleled since Dansville—and Oatka Creek prior to meeting the southern terminus of NY 383. While the railroad, the creek, and NY 383 all head east to Scottsville, NY 36 continues to the north on Riga–Mumford Road, passing through isolated areas of the towns of Wheatland and Riga. Along this stretch, it passes over the New York State Thruway (I-90) a short distance south of the Wheatland–Riga town line. The route continues into the hamlet of Riga, where it intersects and briefly overlaps with NY 33A westward along Chili–Riga Center Road. At Churchville–Riga Road, NY 36 leaves NY 33A to resume its northward trek toward the village of Churchville.^[5]

About 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the village center, NY 36 meets I-490 at exit 3. North of this point, NY 36 becomes South Main Street as it enters the southern portion of Churchville. The highway proceeds into the village's central business district, centered on the junction of Main and Buffalo streets, the latter designated as NY 33. NY 36 turns east at Buffalo Street, joining with NY 33 for nine blocks on Buffalo Street as both routes cross over Black Creek and approach the eastern fringe of Churchville. Here, NY 36 turns north once more to follow Washington Street into the town of Ogden. The route continues through the mostly rural town toward the hamlet of Adams Basin, located west of Spencerport and east of Brockport. About 0.5 miles (0.8 km) south of Adams Basin, it intersects the western terminus of NY 531 (Spencerport Expressway) and meets NY 31 at junctions 100 yards (91 m) apart.^[5] NY 36 ends at the latter intersection;^[4] however, Washington Street continues north as County Route 212 to serve Adams Basin and the nearby Erie Canal.^[5]