We took a trip to Providence Canyon State Park, near Lumpkin, Georgia a few weeks ago. I had read about it in a GA state park brochure and was impressed by the pictures. Calling it the Little Grand Canyon I thought we needed to investigate this treasure in Georgia. According to MapQuest, the park is a good 2.5 hours away so we hadn’t made it down there. When we were at Callaway Gardens, it was only 1.5 hours away so we decided to go there.
Hiking down the quarter-mile descent, verdant shrubs bordered the path until we were greeted by rivers of red clay at the base of the canyon floor. We tiptoed around the rivulets toward Fingers 4 & 5, which according to the park ranger, were the most impressive.
“After you’ve seen the canyons, you won’t care how muddy your feet get,” a hiker announced. “Just dip your shoes in the water every few minutes to wash the mud off and you’ll be fine.”
She was right. Instead of focusing on where I stepped, I looked out – and up. Oatmeal, buff and terra-cotta colored boulders dotted with pine saplings surrounded us. We were in a canyon – a picturesque, marvelous canyon. On closer inspection, the canyon walls weren’t created from rocks – but sand. Looking up, the cerulean sky with one, wispy cloud made it a Chamber of Commerce day.
Continuing along the three-mile hike, the red clay turned into sand. Shady trees and fragrant honeysuckle lined the slow ascent through a wooded area. The only sounds heard were “Caw. Caw” from birds. Without warning, a dilapidated, rusted out 1950’s shell of a station wagon eerily peered out at a clearing delineating an old homestead. A historical marker indicated that several cars were abandoned when the park service purchased the land, but it was cost prohibitive to remove them. It was a reminder that time marches. Time created the canyons and time destroyed the cars. What will time do to the canyon in the future?
At the rim of the canyon, numerous overlooks allowed magnificent views allowing a completely different perspective. Children on the playground equipment and families picnicking at the shelter reminded us we were close our journey’s end. For more information, visit the website at http://gastateparks.org/ProvidenceCanyon.
