The highway crosses over Clove Creek a few times and turns slightly towards the southeast; however, it soon resumes a northeasterly course as the Cold Spring Turnpike. Continuing through the state park, NY 301 skirts the southern bank of Lake Canopus before crossing the Taconic State Parkway in Putnam Valley. Roughly to the northeast at Mead Corners, NY 301 bears southeast toward Carmel. The road passes north of Sagamore Lake to hug the western shore of Boyds Corner Reservoir. Shortly thereafter, NY 301 follows the inside of the western fork of the West Branch Reservoir—part of the Croton Watershed—just southwest of the Nimham Mountain State Forest, before bisecting the body of water via a causeway.