1
Chippewa Run Natural Area
Managed by Leelanau Conservancy
67 acres1.4 mi of trail
Orchard LoopBeaver Pond LoopOld Field TrailCreek Crossing TrailCrossover Trail
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
Outdoors · Empire
Empire, MI parks, trails & bike paths
About 25% of Empire is conserved land, roughly 181 acres. There are about 1.6 miles of mapped trails, and the biggest networks are in Chippewa Run Natural Area (1.4 mi).
Conserved land, trails, parks and bike routes in Empire, measured from OpenStreetMap and USGS data.
At a glance
Empire outdoors
Conserved land
25%
181 of 713 acres
Trails
1.6 mi
1.5 mi per sq mi · 2 on conserved land
Parks & preserves
6
named on the map
Bike routes
0.0 mi
0.0 mi lanes · 0.0 mi off-road paths
Conserved land is a share of the whole town area. Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number or a place below to zoom in© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Parks & preserves with trails
Ranked by mapped trail miles. Directions go to the nearest marked trailhead or public parking.
2
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Managed by National Park Service
93 acres0.1 mi of trail
Old M-22
Dogs usually limitedNational parks restrict dogs on most trails. Check posted rules
No trailhead mapped yet
Website
3
Shalda Park
Managed by Village of Empire
12 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
4
Lake Michigan Beach Park
Managed by Village of Empire
9 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Things to do
Beaches, playgrounds, falls & more
Pick a kind of place for the list, directions, or pins on the map above.
Playgrounds in Empire
Unnamed playground in Lake Michigan Beach Park
Unnamed playground in James R. Johnson Park
Unnamed playground
Trails
Named trails
Unpaved 1.3 mi
- Orchard Loop0.7 mi
- Beaver Pond Loop0.3 mi
- Old Field Trail0.2 mi
- Creek Crossing Trail0.1 mi
- Old M-220.1 mi
- Crossover Trail0.1 mi
Water
Lakes & rivers
Tap a name for directions.
Who protects the land
181 conserved acres
Who manages it, from PAD-US. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Biking & sports
Bike routes, courts & fields
- Painted or protected bike lanes0.0 mi
- Off-road bike paths0.0 mi
- Shoulders & shared lanes0.0 mi
Courts & fields
- Tennis4
- Pickleball2
- Baseball2
- Basketball1
- Beach volleyball1
Counts include school and college facilities, which aren't always open to the public.
Public lands
The biggest protected places in Empire
From USGS PAD-US: who manages each one and whether visitors are welcome.
National Lakeshore or Seashore 91 acPrivate Conservation 78 acLocal Park 12 ac
| Place | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleeping Bear Dunes National LakeshoreNational Lakeshore or Seashore | National Park Service | 91 | Open |
| Chippewa Run Natural AreaPrivate Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 78 | Open |
| Empire Beach ParkLocal Park | Town or city | 9 | Open |
| Lions Club ParkLocal Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
History
Historic places to visit
1911 Hose HouseBuilding
Empire SchoolBuilding
School HouseBuilding
Saint Philip Neri CemeteryCemetery
Trail talk
Conditions & tips from neighbors
No recent posts about Empire's trails yet. Muddy, icy, a bridge out, where to park: a quick post helps the next person.
Sources: trails, parks, preserves, courts and bike lanes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), map data as of 2026-09-28. Conserved land: USGS Gap Analysis Project, Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US). Measured against the Census town boundary.
How we measure
"Trails" are OpenStreetMap paths, bridleways, public tracks and unpaved footways, plus footways inside a park or preserve or on a named trail route. Sidewalks are left out. Areas are counted on a 20-meter grid, so overlapping parcels count once. "Conserved" includes conservation easements, which protect land from development but are usually private property. Trailheads are the nearest marked trailhead, public parking lot or information board within about 150 meters of a preserve. Dog rules come from OpenStreetMap when someone has tagged them; otherwise we show what's typical for the land manager, or say the rules aren't recorded.