The Sharp Curves and Steep Hills of Indiana SR 160

As you turn onto SR 160 outside Salem, IN, you’ll pass a sign urging trucks to instead use SR 56 to the north. The sign warns of SR 160’s “sharp curves, steep hills, and winding road.”

What’s a warning to trucks is a promise of seriously good times for motorcyclists. Let’s roll!

SR 160 is an 18-mile-long two-lane road cutting through Indiana countryside. The road’s western terminus is on Jackson St in Salem. In the east, it passes through Henryville where it ends after crossing I-64 and US 31. The road then continues southeast, although its designation changes to CR 160, before finally running into SR 3 in Charlestown.

That sign you see near Salem doesn’t lie. The curves begin almost as soon as you’re out of town with a series of multiple consecutive 90- and 45-degree turns.

These sharp curves welcome you to the beautiful, wide open farmland that awaits you along SR 160. As you roll past the many small, pretty churches dotting the roadside, proceeding up and down across the rolling hills, the turns mellow out somewhat and become more sweeping.

Don’t get complacent, though. SR 160 likes to play with you and regularly throws in another sharper turn to keep you on your toes.

Roughly 10 miles into the ride, the road gives you a breather as it straightens out for a bit. Take this chance to appreciate the expansive fields around you, because the scenery is about to change.