Steuben County NY 36 begins at the
Pennsylvania state line in
Troupsburg, 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 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. 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, (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. 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 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.
Livingston County 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 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. Between NY 436 and I-390 exit 6 near
Groveland, NY 36 closely parallels I-390, remaining within 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 , it intersects the western terminus of
NY 258 (named Flats Road) at an intersection situated 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. 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. 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 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.
Monroe County 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. About 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 south of Adams Basin, it intersects the western terminus of
NY 531 (Spencerport Expressway) and meets
NY 31 at junctions apart. NY 36 ends at the latter intersection; however, Washington Street continues north as
County Route 212 to serve Adams Basin and the nearby
Erie Canal. ==History==