Southern section The southern segment of SR 71 is long and is entirely within Vermillion County. The road heads north from its southern terminus at
SR 163, in the town of
Blanford. SR 71 passes through the town before entering rural Vermillion County, parallel to the Illinois-Indiana state line. The road passes through the town of
St. Bernice, before curving to become east–west. Soon after becoming east-west SR 71 curves again to become north–south before an intersection with
U.S. Highway 36 (US 36). North of US 36, SR 71 passes through
Dana before returning to rural Vermillion County. After Dana SR 71 becomes takes several curves heading generally towards the northeast before an intersection with
SR 63, northwest of
Newport. This intersection is the northern terminus of the southern segment of SR 71.
Northern section The northern segment of SR 71 is long in Benton and Newton Counties. The southern terminus is at
SR 352 near the town of
Ambia. SR 71 heads north passing through farms and fields, before passing through an intersection with
SR 18. North of SR 18 the road takes a few curves, while the road continues to the north. The road passes through the town of
Raub where it crosses the
Kankakee, Beaverville and Southern Railroad. North of Raub the road crosses a railroad track before the SR 71 designation ends at an intersection with
US 24/
US 52 west of
Kentland. INDOT's surveys in 2017 showed that the highest traffic levels along the northern segment of SR 71 were the 264 vehicles daily near its intersection with US 24/US 52; the lowest counts were the 147 vehicles per day north of the SR 18. ==History==