Few parks or trails are on the map in Empire
1% of residents live within a half mile of a park. 0.6 miles of mapped trail cross Empire.
Ahead of 3% of U.S. towns. What drives it
How much outdoors does Empire have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Empire is ahead of 3% of U.S. towns. All four inputs are below most U.S. towns; trail miles come closest.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
1 places to go in Empire
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
1 named trail and 1 lakes & rivers
6.5 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
September is the best month for walking 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) | 9.3 | 10.4 | 11.8 | 13.4 | 14.7 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 8.9 |
| High (°F) | 25 | 29 | 41 | 54 | 67 | 77 | 81 | 78 | 72 | 58 | 43 | 31 |
| Rain (in) | 1.3 | 1.2 | 1.9 | 3.3 | 3.7 | 4.6 | 4.0 | 3.6 | 3.1 | 2.9 | 2.0 | 1.5 |
February is the driest month (1.2 in) and July the warmest (highs of 81 °F). 4.6 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Empire →
Empire and its neighbors
Tap a town to see its outdoors.
| Town | Conserved of land | Trail mi per sq mi | Park acres per 1,000 | Near a park ½ mile | Outdoors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empire | under 1% | under 0.1 | under 1 | 1% | D− |
| Fond du Lac | 5% | 1.0 | 19 | 93% | A− |
| Eden | under 1% | 0.1 | 52 | 8% | C |
| Forest | — not graded: under 1,000 residents or part of its town | ||||
| Taycheedah | under 1% | under 0.1 | 42 | 35% | C |
| Fond du Lac | 1% | 0.3 | 24 | 50% | C+ |
The four inputs of the Outdoors grade, from the engine; shares are of land, not water.
Questions about parks and trails in Empire
How much of Empire is conserved land?
under 1% of its land, against a typical 4% for a Wisconsin town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Where can I bike in Empire?
6.5 miles of bike routes are on the map: 6.2 of off-road paths and 0.3 of shoulders and shared lanes. Named routes: Old Plank Road Trail.
Is there public land near Empire?
28,908 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Empire or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), almost none of it inside the town line.
How much outdoors does Empire have?
Ahead of 3% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade. 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.
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 →