Hancock (village), New York in the context of Delaware County, New York

The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for 282 miles (454 km) along the borders of New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, before emptying into Delaware Bay.

The river has been recognized by the National Wildlife Federation as one of the country's Great Waters and has been called the "Lifeblood of the Northeast" by American Rivers. Its watershed drains an area of 13,539 square miles (35,070 km) and provides drinking water for 17 million people, including half of New York City via the Delaware Aqueduct.

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.