If you are from the Southeast and don’t know about the “Mini Grand Canyon” you are not alone. There are many people that have not heard about Providence Canyon State Park in Georgia. Located in southwest Georgia this small state park has amazing views and hikes that are very uncommon for this area. There are two main types of hikes in this state park a short “white trail” that is about 2 miles with amazing views or a “red trail” that is about 7 miles with the same views plus a decent amount of up and down trials. (There is about 252 - 583’ feet of elevation gain). Many people use the 7-mile trail to hike out and primitive camp before finishing the hike back at the top of the views. Both trails start and end at the visitor center where you can pick up some last-minute things or finish off with some drinks or some ice cream on a hot day.

We decided to camp at Florence Marina State Park with our RV and it was a great experience. Full hookups and easy large sites makes it easy to park and setup. The site was quiet and everyone was very friendly. There are some good trees and forest coverage as well as tons of spots to access the lake.

White Trail (2.1 miles)

The white trail hike has a few ups and downs that starts at the top with all the views near the visitor center. In between some of the ups and downs there are pass throughs to actually walk into the canyons. There are a few steep climbs but being a short hike it is very managable. Off the white trail you can do “cutoff’s to passthroughs.” these are actually small hikes through the water banks that you can take to see the inside of the canyons. They ask you stay off the sand or try climbing as this will erode the canyon but it is very impressive and a great new experience.

Average time to complete is about 3 hours
About a 2.1 mile Loop

Red Trail (6.6 miles)

The red trail starts at the visitor center with all the good overviews and breaks out at the small rivermouth where you are actually hiking on the water/ clay floors. This is a different type of hike than we have ever done before. Make sure you wear waterproof shoes or shoes you do not mind throwing out after. If you start counterclockwise (which I would recommend) you start going downhill into the riverbank and then you turn out and have plenty of time to dry off those shoes with the remaining 5 miles. The trails are mostly easy with some steep climbs that make it Moderate overall. A great idea is to bring lots of water and some lunch so you can eat halfway through the hike.

Average time to complete is about 3 hours
About 6.6 mile Loop

Places to stay

Primitive camping in the park for the day. There are some fire pits and areas laid out for a tent or two and a few shelters throughout the trials.
Camping and cottages are available nearby at Florence Marina State Park on beautiful Lake Walter F. George.
Hotels: Nearest location is Columbus only 45 min away

Conclusion:

I highly recommend going to Providence Canyon State Park. For a quick getaway that is not far (If you like in the southeast). There is not much amazing outside the park but the hikes into the canyons and the trails/views are worth it. We really got to enjoy the park and it allows our dogs some good exercise with some great new features we have not seen on the east coast. We would definitely do this state park again but would only recommend it for 2-4 days.