NY 9H begins at a junction of three major Hudson Valley roadways, US 9, NY 23, and NY 82, in the Belle Pond section of Livingston. The route heads north through rural Livingston, overlapping with NY 23 as the road passes Belle Pond and farms as a two-lane road. It soon enters the town of Greenport, where NY 9H and NY 23 turn eastward and intersect with the southern terminus of County Route 29 (CR 29, named Spook Rock Road). The two roads enter the town of Claverack, crossing under power lines before bending northward through town. NY 9H and NY 23 remain mainly rural through the southern parts of Claverack, bending northward at a junction with CR 27 before entering the hamlet of Claverack. In Claverack, the two routes become residential before intersecting with the eastern terminus of NY 23B. At this junction, NY 23 turns eastward on NY 23B's continuation, while NY 9H continues north.