Vermillion Highlands Research Recreation and Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
2,822 acres15 mi of trail
Lone Rock LoopWetland LoopFarm LoopPine Loop
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
AOutdoors
Outdoors in Empire
Empire has 509 acres of parks, 165 for every 1,000 residents
20% of Empire’s land is conserved, about 3,901 acres. 30 miles of mapped trail cross Empire, 1.0 per square mile of land. The biggest trail networks: Vermillion Highlands Research Recreation and Wildlife Management Area (15 mi), Whitetail Woods Regional Park (9.3 mi), Dakota Woods Dog Park (1.1 mi).
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns · #32 of 274 in Minnesota. What drives it
Conserved land
20%
3,901 acres · of 30.5 sq mi of land
Trails
30 mi
1.0 per sq mi of land
Park land
509 ac
165 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
82%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
11 mi
0.3 mi lanes · 8.5 mi paths
Lakes & rivers
3
What kind of outdoors town is Empire?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Empire have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Empire is ahead of 94% of U.S. towns, #32 of 274 in Minnesota. All four inputs are above most U.S. towns; park acres per resident rank highest, the share of residents near a park lowest.
A
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Empire’s overall grade.
Conserved land20% of the land · typical MN town 5% · U.S. 4%ATrails1.0 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (30 mi) · MN 0.5 · U.S. 0.4A−Park land165 acres of park per 1,000 residents (509 acres) · MN 24 · U.S. 13AParks close to home82% of residents within a half mile of a park · MN 95% · U.S. 72%B+
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Ahead of 94%
LessMore
Minnesota towns of 2,500+ (274)Ahead of 89%
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Vermillion Highlands Research Recreation and WMA, with 15 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Whitetail Woods Regional Park
Park
453 acres9.3 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Dakota Woods Dog Park
Park
16 acres1.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lotWebsite ↗
Vermillion River Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
1,486 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Vermillion Highlands Research Recreation and Wildlife Management Area2,822 acres · 15 mi of trail · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsWhitetail Woods Regional Park453 acres · 9.3 mi of trail
DirectionsDakota Woods Dog Park16 acres · 1.1 mi of trail
DirectionsVermillion River Wildlife Management Area1,486 acres · Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
DirectionsVermillion River AMA305 acres
Stelzel Fields14 acres
Empire Park11 acres
Sachs Park4 acres
DirectionsTown Hall Park3 acres
DirectionsRambling River Park1 acres
DirectionsWho protects it
3,901 conserved acres
20% of Empire’s land. Who manages Empire’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State fish & wildlife3,895 ac
County829 ac
Town or city5 ac
State Conservation Area · 3,895 acRecreation or Education Easement · 829 acLocal Park · 4 acLocal Recreation Area · 1 ac
Good to know
Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors. 1 acre is a conservation easement, usually private land. The walks above are places people visit.
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermillion Highlands Research Recreation and State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 2,826 | Restricted |
| Vermillion River State Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State fish & wildlife | 1,070 | Restricted |
| Sachs Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Rambling River Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Prairie Waterway Local Recreation Area | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
6 places to go in Empire
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Empire
Fawn Crossing Nature Play AreaIn Whitetail Woods Regional Park
DirectionsPlus 4 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Dog parks in Empire
Dakota Woods Dog ParkIn Dakota Woods Dog Park
DirectionsTrails & water
4 named trails and 3 lakes & rivers
Named trails
Open to bikes · 1.1 miHorses · 10.7 miUnpaved · 11.6 mi
Lone Rock Loop4.7 mi
Wetland Loop3.5 mi
Farm Loop1.6 mi
Pine Loop0.9 mi
Lakes & rivers tap for directions
Biking & sports
11 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
0.3 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
8.5 mi
off-road bike paths
2.6 mi
shoulders & shared lanes
Courts & fields
5Baseball
2Tennis
2Pickleball
2Basketball
1Equestrian
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Empire
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.2 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.8 | 15.6 | 15.2 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.5 | 8.8 |
| High (°F) | 23 | 28 | 41 | 56 | 68 | 78 | 82 | 80 | 72 | 58 | 42 | 28 |
| Rain (in) | 0.8 | 0.8 | 1.6 | 2.9 | 4.1 | 4.8 | 4.1 | 4.5 | 3.4 | 2.6 | 1.6 | 1.2 |
February is the driest month (0.8 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 4.8 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Empire →
Next door
Empire and its neighbors
Empire has the most mapped trails of the 7 towns around it. Tap a town to see its outdoors.
Empire30 miLakeville27 miRosemount17 miFarmington5.4 miCastle Rock Township3.1 miVermillion Township1.3 miCoates0.0 mi
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empire | 20% | 1.0 | 165 | 82% | A |
| Farmington | 7% | 0.3 | 33 | 99% | A− |
| Rosemount | 4% | 0.5 | 32 | 96% | A− |
| Vermillion Township | 3% | under 0.1 | under 1 | under 1% | D |
| Castle Rock Township | 1% | 0.1 | 60 | 1% | C |
| Coates | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Lakeville | 7% | 0.7 | 25 | 99% | A |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Empire
Where can I hike in Empire?
The longest trail networks: Vermillion Highlands Research Recreation and Wildlife Management Area, 15 miles; Whitetail Woods Regional Park, 9.3 miles; Dakota Woods Dog Park, 1.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Empire is conserved land?
20% of its land, against a typical 5% for a Minnesota town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Empire’s trails?
Vermillion Highlands Research Recreation and Wildlife Management Area and Whitetail Woods Regional Park don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Empire?
11 miles of bike routes are on the map: 0.3 of painted or protected lanes, 8.5 of off-road paths and 2.6 of shoulders and shared lanes.
Is there public land near Empire?
18,543 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Empire or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 509 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Empire have?
Ahead of 94% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #32 of 274 in Minnesota. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Empire neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →