Mount Upton to Burlington Flats NY 51 begins at an intersection with
NY 8 and
Chenango County Route 37 (CR 37) in the
hamlet of
Mount Upton (in the town of
Guilford). NY 51 proceeds east through Mount Upton as a two-lane continuation of CR 37, passing multiple residences in Mount Upton. Just after, the route crosses the
Unadilla River and leave
Chenango County for
Otsego County. Now in the town of
Butternuts, reaching a junction with the southern terminus of
CR 18, NY 51 winds northeast through town a two-lane rural roadway through the town. s on NY 51 in
Otsego County between
Morris and
New Lisbon The route starts paralleling Butternut Creek through town, entering the hamlet of Copes Corners, where NY 51 junctions with
CR 3. The route passes west of Copes Corners Park, soon passing the Gilbertsville–Mount Upton Central School just north of the hamlet. NY 51 winds north along Butternut Creek, soon gaining the moniker of Marion Avenue as it reaches the village of
Gilbertsville. The route becomes a two-lane residential street through Gilbertsville, reaching a junction with Cliff Street, where it turns northeast through the village. The route soon junctions with Reservoir Road, which marks the northern end of Gilbertsville and access to Butternuts Cemetery. Back in the town of Butternuts, NY 51 drops the Marion Avenue moniker and continues north through the rural regions north of Gilbertsville along Butternut Creek. NY 51 begins to stretch further and further away from Butternut Creek, soon crossing into the town of
Morris.and begins to pass more residences as it winds northeast. Climbing several hills, NY 51 eventually enters the village of
Morris, where almost immediately, it reaches a junction with
NY 23. NY 23 and NY 51 become concurrent at this junction, crossing over a tributary of Butternut Creek and entering the village center. Now known as Main Street, NY 23 and NY 51 pass multiple businesses before reaching the junction with Broad Street, where NY 23 turns east onto Broad and NY 51 continues east on Main. After Hargrave Street, NY 51 leaves the village of Morris and returns to the namesake town. NY 51 continues through Morris, reaching a junction with the southern terminus of
CR 49 in the rural hamlet of Elm Grove. Passing north of a
mobile home park, the route begins to bend northward and enters the town of
New Lisbon, where it junctions with the western terminus of
CR 12, which connects to the namesake hamlet. Continuing north through New Lisbon, NY 51 remains the main two-lane rural road through the town, reaching a junction with Harrington Road, where it turns northeast into the hamlet of Garrattsville. In the center of the residential hamlet, NY 51 junctions with
CR 16, where the routes exchange rights-of-way. NY 51 turns northward on the alignment used by CR 16 while CR 16 heads northeast on the alignment used by NY 51. After a curve near High Street, NY 51 leaves Garrattsville, reaching the eastern terminus of
CR 17, soon crossing into the town of
Burlington. The route remains rural through Burlington, passing some residences in the hamlet of
West Burlington, before reaching a junction with
NY 80 east of Robinson Corners. NY 80 and NY 51 become concurrent and proceed northeast through the town of Burlington as a two-lane rural roadway. The short concurrency reaches the hamlet of Barrett Corners, where NY 51 turns northward while NY 80 turns east. Continuing north through Burlington, NY 51 reaches the hamlet of Chapinville, where it turns eastward for a short distance at Arnold Road. Crossing a small creek, the route soon turns northward at Gardner Road, reaching the hamlet of Burlington Flats.
Burlington Flats to Herkimer At Burlington Flats, NY 51 turns northeast at Washburn Road, crossing two junctions with
CR 19. After CR 19, the route retains its rural nature through Burlington, soon reaching the hamlet of West Exeter. In the middle of the hamlet, NY 51 reaches a junction with the western terminus of
CR 22. Just north of West Exeter, the route soon reaches
CR 23, where the route begins a northwestern stretch through the town of
Plainfield. The route crosses the
Skaneateles Turnpike at-grade as NY 51 bypasses the hamlet of Plainfield. After a gradual curve, the route soon turns northwest and crosses the
Herkimer County line just north of a junction with
CR 21. Now in the town of
Winfield, NY 51 crosses a junction with Truax and Forks Road (unsigned
CR 162). The route crosses through the hamlet of Woods Corners before entering the village of
West Winfield. Now known as South Street, NY 51 soon reaches the Unadilla River, reaching the center of West Winfield. Several blocks north of the river, NY 51 reaches a junction with
US 20 (West Main Street). NY 51 and US 20 become concurrent along East Main Street, crossing north of Winfield Memorial Town Park, soon leaving the village. NY 51 and US 20 continue east through the town of Winfield, crossing through the hamlet of Hitching Corner and soon into the hamlet of
East Winfield. At the eastern end of East Whitfield, NY 51 turns north off of US 20, continuing north through the rural parts of Winfield. Crossing a former railroad line, the route bypasses Cedarville Station, which is connected via a junction with Chepachet Road (
CR 75). Crossing the Unadilla River for the third time since Mount Upton, the route turns northward past the hamlet of Chepachet before crossing into the town of
Columbia and soon into the town of
Litchfield. In Litchfield, NY 51 reaches the intersection with Jordanville Road (
CR 18), where it turns westward and soon reaches the junction with Wall Street (
CR 79), where it turns northward once again. Continuing north along a brook, NY 51 continues through Litchfield, passing through Illion Gorge before turning northeast along Steele Creek. NY 51 runs north of the Illion Reservoir No. 2 and crosses into the town of
German Flatts, soon reaching the hamlet of
South Ilion, where it meets a junction with
CR 51. A couple blocks to the north, NY 51 turns north and enters the village of
Ilion, where the route gains the moniker of Otsego Street. Becoming the main north–south street through Ilion, the route turns northeast at a junction with John Street. Otsego Street becomes the main commercial street through the village, changing names to Central Avenue at a junction with Clark Street. After the name change, NY 51 enters an interchange with
NY 5S and then crosses the
Mohawk River into the town of
Herkimer, where NY 51 enters an interchange with
NY 5. This junction marks the northern terminus of NY 51, just south of the
New York State Thruway (
I-90). ==History==