The Little Grand Canyon

Story and Photos By Hannah Lester

Welcome to Georgia’s Providence Canyon, or, the Little Grand Canyon.

I made more than one trip to this colorful day hike while I was an Auburn student, given it was only a little over an hour from campus.

The first trip, in 2017, was just me and my friend Hannah. (We actually do share a first name. It’s a funny story — we were random suite-mates our first year.)

We got up early and made the drive to Georgia. You do need to leave the state for this hike, but it doesn’t feel like it. It’s a pretty easy and quick drive.

The dirt and rocks alongside the road start to look a little more red as you near your destination.

When you arrive, you’ll find a little gift shop/ranger station and the option to take a hike around the perimeter

of the canyon.

This area is fenced off when you’re near the edges, so don’t worry, but still be careful, especially if you’ve brought children with you.

It took us a couple of hours to do this part of the hike — but with good reason. We took it slow, took lots of pictures and stopped a couple of times.

First, we stopped for photos with broken down and abandoned cars in the woods. Some, of course, had been spray painted. Others, you could climb inside.

Secondly, we stopped midway through, or near the end, rather, for lunch. We’d packed lunch beforehand. There were some nice picnic tables near a view of the canyons.

Finally, we stopped to hang our Eno hammocks at the end of the hike. We’d both brought books with us and this was a nice way to relax before the next part of our day.

Following our hike around the perimeter, we actually had the option to go inside of the canyons. This is definitely my favorite part of Providence Canyon.

Although the canyons are beautiful from up top, they’re even more breathtaking from the inside.

They tower over you and all the colors are on full display. We spent another hour and a half inside the canyons before heading out.

Each canyon is labeled — so you can explore each one from the ground.

I loved the trip so much, I repeated it with friends a year later in 2018, but we chose to spend all day on the inside of the canyons.

Some fun facts about Providence: according to the Georgia State Parks website, the canyon was actually formed by farming, poor farming to be exact.

“Massive gullies as deep as 150 feet were caused simply by poor farming practices during the 1800s, yet today they make some of the prettiest photographs within the state,” the website said. “The rare Plumleaf Azalea grows only in this region and blooms during July and August when most azaleas have lost their color. The canyon soil’s pink, orange, red and purple hues make a beautiful natural painting at this quiet park.”

There is also backcountry camping available.

“Backpackers can stay overnight along the backcountry trail which highlights portions of the canyon and winds through mixed forest,” the site said. “Camping, cottages and efficiency units are available nearby at Florence Marina State Park on 45,000 acre Lake Walter F. George.”

For more information on the canyons visit www.gastateparks.org/ProvidenceCanyon.