Providence Canyon State Park- Human Mistakes Can Still Be Beautiful.

As our world turned upside down with COVID-19, I got stuck at my parents house. Due to my job getting placed on hold, my big move to Atlanta was put on hold. At the time I couldn’t see the beauty in my forced change of plans. I was depressed, anxious and forced to adapt. Looking back, I am so grateful for the time with my family. It forced me to pause, and it reminded me that travel is something I can’t live without.

By the time I moved down to Atlanta in the beginning of May, I was itching to go see all the new places around me. Thankfully my roommate and I planned trip to Providence Canyon State Park in Lumpkin, GA. Most state parks in Georgia are open with social distancing practices place, and yes, we practiced safe social distancing while enjoying the outdoors. Since the park keeps the amount of people in the park capped so everyone can practice safe social distancing, we had to wait about an hour to get in. No big deal, worth the wait to stay safe.

Surrounded by woods, you can’t see the full beauty of the park until you walk in and reach the rim of the canyon. It’s stunning. Nicknamed Georgia’s “Little Grand Canyon” it holds up to it’s name. Although it is among the top places to visit in Georgia, its creation is due to the mistakes of our ancestors. The gullies in the canyon have eroded to depths as deep as 150 feet thanks to poor farming practices in the 1800s. None the less, the result is nothing short of picturesque. Your eyes starting at the rim, covered thick in rich green trees, glance up to the blue sky above and then down the canyon to the terra-cotta rust orange below. As they descend, the beautiful canyon color pallet goes back and forth between layers of stunning orange, red, pink, and snow white soil. As an avid hiker, I enjoyed the fact that you can take in this view from both hiking around the rim and also down into the base looking up.

Having a few hours, we decided to hike both around the rim and down along of the canyon, and highly recommend doing both if you are able. If you are going to hike along the bottom of the canyon be warned that there may be some water running through it, so wear shoes that can get wet and muddy! It’s also important to note, the canyon walls are are very delicate, so please respect the requests and signs in the park and stay on the trails. Like most natural parks let’s keep the damage we have caused to a minimum. The trails provide plenty stunning views, Instagram moments, and even old rusted cars left to decay. As I sit here looking at my still mud stained shoes, I am so grateful Providence was my first adventure into Georgia. It reminded me that just because the past has failures and mistakes doesn’t mean the future can’t be beautiful in its own way.

Providence Canyon is a great place to bring a picnic and hike around in either the afternoon or morning. Entering the park is only $5 per car, and that serves as admission into the park. There are plenty of picnic tables and green grass to relax on, as well as restrooms on site. So when we are all safely able to get together again I suggest you grab your friends and family, pile into the car, and enjoy the day at Providence Canyon State Park. Or if you prefer some time to reflect, grab a notebook, a pen, and some hiking boots and take simply take in the delicate beauty around you.

**All information about the park mentioned was found either in the park itself or at its website.** For more information checkout:

https://gastateparks.org/ProvidenceCanyon