Welcome to the Empire Area!
Empire is a small village of about 400 people, located on the Lake Michigan side of the Leelanau Peninsula in northwest lower Michigan. We are a short drive (26 miles to the west) from Traverse City.
Empire is home to the Headquarters for Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. We are surrounded by the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore , in a dynamic four-season paradise! Any time of year is wonderful for visiting our area, but the Summer is the busiest with the most constant sunshine and perfect beach days. Fall treats us all with beautiful changing leaves, cool breezes, big waves, and great weather for hiking the Empire Bluffs trail or surfing off-shore.
