The Buffalo Run

The county's western half; the state line to State Road 23

The route: The Buffalo Run crosses the county's open western half, town to town. The Michiana Trail Riders Coalition, the club that operates and maintains it, describes the trail in its own words: "the 70 mile long Buffalo Run Snowmobile Trail that is located west of South Bend, Indiana, in St. Joseph County and runs from the State Line to Highway #23." The DNR's official map draws the same ground: a marked route through the county's western townships — New Carlisle at the north, Lydick and Crumstown below it, North Liberty at the south — following the county roads the map names, Primrose, Darden, Auten, Sycamore, Sage, and Wintergreen among them, reaching east at its nearest to Elbel Park Golf Club at the city's western side. Its name's origin appears in none of the publications read for this section, and none is offered.

Three mileages stand for this one trail, each from a maintaining body's own publication, and they are printed together, unreconciled: the club counts 70 miles; the DNR's current trail map, updated 8 January 2026, states "The 68-mile Buffalo Run Snowmobile Trail in St. Joseph County is maintained by the Michiana Trail Riders Coalition, Inc. (MTRC) and funded through the Indiana DNR"; the Indiana Snowmobilers Association's roster counts 63 miles. Where a rider starts is likewise published twice over, because the ground's businesses change faster than the maps: the DNR's 2026 map names two trailheads — American Legion Post 297, 486 E Michigan Street, New Carlisle, and JJ's Crumstown Tavern, 59400 Crumstown Highway, North Liberty — while the club's own maps page lists its staging areas as Pear Road in South Bend, between Grant Road and Harrison Road; Groceries by Joe in New Carlisle; and Stella's Tavern on Crumstown Highway in Crumstown, adding, in its own capitals, "We can NO longer use the south bend motor speedway as a staging area." Both listings stand, each with its publisher and its date. The DNR's map prints the trail's law on its face: trails are open from December 1 to March 31 only when posted as open; the use of trails by wheeled vehicles is prohibited; all snowmobiles must be registered.

Sources:

1. Michiana Trail Riders Coalition, gomtrc.com, About and Trail & Weather Maps pages (the 70-mile figure; the state-line-to-Highway-23 course; the staging areas and the speedway note).
2. Indiana DNR, Buffalo Run Snowmobile Trail map, last updated 8 January 2026 (the 68-mile figure; the route and its named roads and towns; the two trailheads; the printed regulations).
3. Indiana Snowmobilers Association, Trails page (the 63-mile figure).