MOULTRIE – It begins! The first stop on the State Parks summer adventure was Providence “Littlest Grand” Canyon State park in Lumpkin. 

Right now I can see some of you with a cup of coffee or tea in your hands, head tilted slightly to the side, with a quizzical look upon your face, thinking ‘Reed Bingham Park is not even a half hour away from Colquitt County, why isn’t she starting there?’ 

Simple. 

I did the whole piece of paper in a jar thing and, as the little green men from Toy Story knew to be true, “The Claw will choose who will stay and who will go.” 

This week ‘The Claw,’ or rather my hand, chose Providence Canyon, which is two hours away from Moultrie when heading through Albany.  

My husband and I packed our “spending the day outdoors” backpacks full of lunch, snacks and water and waited like giddy children at the end of our driveway until my parents’ vehicle pulled into sight and in front of the house.

We piled our stuff in the trunk and were on our way. 

The 1,003 acre state park was founded in 1971 and is considered one of Georgia’s Seven Wonders of the World. 

This State Park has a unique history to boot. 

In the early 1800s, English settlers who had colonized the area began farming the land; however, years of poor practices sparked an erosion that eventually transformed the landscape into ‘Georgia’s Littlest Grand Canyon.’   

One of the reasons the settlers were more successful in eroding than farming is because the grounds’ material is a very fine sand mixed with clay, not dirt or soil.   

Today, those who visit can easily spend an entire day getting lost in the trenches that have been created over the last 400 years.

While remaining up above where the big grassy fields, picnic areas and most importantly, bathrooms, are located, there are also tremendous viewpoints to look down into the canyon that are safely protected with railings. 

After we arrived, and took a much needed bathroom break, I mean it was a several hour drive, the first place we all walked was the closest viewpoint. It was breathtaking.  

Yes, I could see beyond the canyon if I looked towards my preferential vision or way out towards the horizon, but at that moment, looking down upon the canyon and seeing it stretch for miles and being above it … it felt…well, to quote another movie, ‘I’m the king of the world!’ 

Gullies up to 150 feet deep were scattered everywhere, and all of them were painted ombre in Georgia red clay. 

It reminded me of when I was a child helping my parents paint the house and I used a too full paint roller and gravity pulled all that excess paint down. 

The highest tips of the gullies were the undeniable red of Georgia clay but the further down you looked, the clay slowly absorbed into the pale tan sand that occupied the ground floor.

For those who want to stretch their legs, as my family wanted to do after sitting the last two hours, there is the option to venture into the canyon and gaze up at its beauty rather than down.

But first, lunch. 

The picnic areas at Providence Canyon were clean and welcoming. The park has two picnic shelters with reservation options, and several tables out in the open first come first serve. 

After we all finished our family style picnic lunch we cleaned up and it was time for what we came for, a visit to the canyon floor.  

To get to the bottom, there is a footpath to follow. It isn’t terribly long, but it can be somewhat steep in parts as the whole point is to take you to the bottom of those 150-feet gullies. 

Once on the bottom I have to admit it was slightly confusing at first. The canyon seemed equally massive from this perspective, but in a completely different way.  

Instead of looking out and seeing these large pillars of colorful sand stretching for miles, I saw a large, watery, sandy field in the middle of a crossroads. 

I knew we were all in the canyon because I walked down into it, but it sure didn’t feel like it now that I was there.  

It felt so spacious and open. Nothing compared to other canyons I’ve been in, which admittedly aren’t that many, and one of them I got heat stroke in and almost died so I don’t remember most of that particular adventure, but I digress. 

In my experience, when going into a canyon, there is one route that maybe has one or two small detours, but mainly it’s a clear out and back route with the canyon walls on either side. 

But, Providence Canyon is more of a choose your own adventure, and I loved it. 

There were signs leading every direction with points to go see and loops to walk. 

None of us were sure which way to turn first so we eliminated the longest route since it was already past lunch and flipped a coin to decide which of the two other routes we took.

“Heads,” my husband called, hoping to go right. 

Tails.

The trail to the left took us to three more branch offs we could explore. Some did allow for a small amount of climbing in areas where it wouldn’t damage the canyon further, but mostly the day was spent just wandering around and looking up.

Now that I was closer I could see more details. Purples, pinks and orange sparkled like glitter in the sand, and in some sections conglomerated into a cosmos of colors. 

Looking down on the canyon made the world feel so large, and being on the bottom made it feel so small. 

I felt as insignificant as an ant because you can only see as far as the bend in front and behind you. There is nothing else…unless there is a plane in the sky, but ignore that possibility because I’m trying to be dramatic. 

Well, then this thought popped into my head:

“This is primarily sand. All that is needed to begin a crumble in the walls is the strength of a fingernail and yet it stands so tall and strong at 150 feet.” 

I was in awe when that thought smacked me. I just stood there, looking up and reflecting on the wondrous, and sometimes bizarre, things nature can do but at the same time how absolutely beautiful it all is.  

I’m going to pause and give a disclosure that I feel is very important. 

I did not say that to encourage people to drive to this beautiful canyon and start scraping at its sides, but rather as a visual to help show its fragility and the need to preserve and respect this incredible State Park.   

Please do not try to scale, or intentionally crumble, any of the walls. If everyone did that, even just a little bit, then pretty soon there would be no canyon left to visit. 

Think about it this way. 

You really think 400 years ago when those settlers were attempting to farm the land they intended to set off a chain of reactions that would create a field of caverns rather than crops? 

Keep in mind that the smallest of actions, even when completely innocent, might, in the long run, amount to something much bigger. 

Let’s make sure that Georgians 400 years from now still have a Providence State Canyon to visit. 

This sand is not meant for playing in, but simply observing and appreciating. 

But, that’s okay because there are plenty of other things to do. You can spend all afternoon getting your steps in exploring the natural beauty this canyon has to offer.

After four hours my family only explored about a third of the park.

 And, if you want to run around and be wild, use that gigantic field above to kick a soccer ball around, or throw the ball. 

This is a state park I would absolutely say is worth the two-hour one-way drive, but if it seems like an adventure that your family would enjoy, I would recommend waiting until later in the summer to go. 

Though I enjoyed every minute I was there, the rare Plumleaf Azalea that grows in Providence Canyon had yet to start blooming. They usually bloom later than other azalea’s and bloom during July and August. 

I will be going back to see those for sure, and I recommend you do too!