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2023 Map of Empire

Name: 2023 Topographic Map of Empire
Creator: U.S. Geological Survey
Published: 2023
License: https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/

USGS Topo · Published 2023

About this map

Empire stands as the central hub of this coastal landscape, situated where the glacial terrain of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore meets the waters of Lake Michigan. The topography is defined by massive sand features, including the iconic The Sleeping Bear dune and Old Baldy Dune, which rise sharply above the shoreline. Inland, the map reveals a network of smaller water bodies such as South Bar Lake and Taylor Lake, alongside the larger Glen Lake to the northeast.

Local history and community life are grounded in landmarks like the Saint Philip Neri Catholic Church and several burial grounds, including Maple Grove Cem and Church Cem. The transportation network is a mix of contemporary tourism routes like Pierce Stocking Scenic Dr and traditional footpaths like the Shore To Shore Trl. Further south, the boundary between Leelanau and Benzie counties cuts through the dunes near Otter Creek, illustrating the transition from active parkland to the rural airfield at William B Bolton Airport.