Providence Canyon State Park
AKA the Little Grand Canyon
So.. first let me give you the low down on this beautiful little gem in Lumpkin, Georgia..
“”Georgia’s “Little Grand Canyon” is a testament to the power of man’s influence on the land. 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 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.” – gastateparks.org
If you caught up with our “Where are we now” post – (if you didn’t, catch it here) then you learned that we were moved to Fort Benning, Georgia! If you know anything about the area, then you know that you can choose to live on either the Georgia side.. or the Alabama side.. for the sake of buying a house and taxes, we chose the Alabama side! Anywho.. I am always on the hunt for something to do with the kids locally that is free/low cost that will keep them busy for a few hours and also get to explore our area. I stumbled upon Providence Canyon! It’s about a 30ish minute drive for us so it was perfect to get the kids off the bus and load up the car and take a ride and do a hike as the sun was starting to set in the fall!
It helped to download the app called AllTrails to see different hiking routes around the canyon. There is the upper rim, the lower rim and all different routes in-between! Depending on if you want to just go for a quick brisk workout, if you want to go deep in the canyon and do some sightseeing, there is something for you! I will say, if you have any issues with being uneasy on your feet or being a fall risk, I would stick to the upper observation decks and not venture down. It gets very steep for someone who could be prone to slipping easily (aka my dad who had a stroke and can’t feel his right leg).
Good news! Dogs are allowed, but they must remain on a 6 foot leash! We took our pittie girl Piper and she loved it! She was still working on her leash training so we did keep her shock collar on in case we needed to use the beep or vibrate on her (which we didn’t need to).
When you are down in the canyon, there can be little streams of water if it had just rained so make sure you wear the right footwear! It’s really fun if you look at the walls of the canyon and check out the actual clay that is soft enough to play with!
You can also find really fun spots to take some cool photos too if you’re into photography! Make sure to bring your camera! I was using my iPhone for all of these pictures but I want to go back after the quarantine and do a fun photoshoot with the kids! Overall, there are many sections of the canyon, and it is very interesting if you take the time to check it out! There are bathrooms, playgrounds, campgrounds and even grilling areas! It is a $5 per carload parking admission or you can get an annual pass for people who will go a lot which isn’t too much!
To check out all of the other fun things that they have to offer if you are in the area or need something fun to do when it’s safe to travel.. check out their website -> https://gastateparks.org/ProvidenceCanyon
