Benzie & Sleeping Bear · Small town
Empire
Your first stop at Sleeping Bear Dunes: a small M-22 village with the park's main visitor center, a sunset beach and the start of the Heritage Trail.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Beach · Benzie & Sleeping Bear
Empire Beach
Empire's village beach on Lake Michigan at the foot of Niagara Street, with restrooms, picnic spots, a big playground and a view of Empire Bluff at sunset.
Empire Beach is the easy family beach on the southern edge of Sleeping Bear: a village park on Lake Michigan at the foot of Niagara Street, a short walk from downtown Empire. Come when you want sand, a playground and a restroom in one place.
The park has restrooms, picnic spots, a large playground and basketball courts, so it works for a whole afternoon with kids. Parking is on site for a small fee.
You look out toward the Empire Bluffs from the sand. Stay for sunset over Lake Michigan. The ship’s anchor at the beach is the one behind Anchor Days, the village festival in mid-July.
The national lakeshore is all around the village. Pick up your national park entrance pass at the visitor center in town before you head to Sleeping Bear Dunes beaches like Esch Road Beach, and ride the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail, which starts in Empire.
No lifeguards are listed. Lake Michigan changes fast, so watch the waves and posted flags and stay out when it is rough.
Practical information
- Managed by
- Village of Empire
- Best months
- June to September
Location
Map of Empire Beach
4 places on an OpenStreetMap map
Nearby towns
Also nearby
Straight-line distances, not driving distances.
National park
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
Dunes, high bluffs, beaches, inland lakes and two islands along 65 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline in Benzie and Leelanau counties.
Under a mile away (straight line)
Scenic drive
Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive
A 7.4-mile one-way loop in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore with 12 stops and overlooks of Lake Michigan, the Glen Lakes and the dunes.
About 3 miles away (straight line)
Beach
Esch Road Beach
A national lakeshore beach south of Empire where Otter Creek runs into Lake Michigan, a warm, shallow creek that kids love to wade. Restrooms; park along the road.
About 4 miles away (straight line)