providence canyon state park

If you're in Americus or Plains, do take the time to drive to Providence Canyon. If you're in Savannah, think twice.The canyon formations alternate between rusty orange striations and chalk white pillars. It's striking! And totally unexpected when you first come upon it.But it's a tiny state park, and your opportunities for viewing the awesome scenery are limited unless you are able and inclined to hike down into the canyon. But if you are in your upper 70s and limited to gazing from the few overlooks, it's a memorable 15 minutes. We were there in March and nothing (like the visitor center) was open and there didn't appear to be a park ranger or any other staffer anywhere around to interpret the geology. The interpretative signs aren't that great either. I wanted more.

I saw a picture in a Georgia state park brochure and had to go. This place is in the middle of nowhere and when we went in the end of Jan we practicaly had the place to ourselves. I will say that the signage could be better. Some of the canyons are marked and others are not. We went directly down to the canyon floor and started with 1. The floor is walking on wet sand that is a stream and some parts and if you get on higher land is dry sand. I definetly recommend waterproff boots. My dog loved it because the wet sand kept him cool all day. Canyons 1 & 2 are kind of dissappointing with very little color. 3 is a little better but 4 and 5 are probably the best ones. It took us awhile to find the way to canyons 6-9 and we definetely went the long way. I'll give you the short cut. Take the white trail to the canyon ridge trail and you will see the sign to turn for canyons 6-9. Canyons 6-8 were all pretty good but we did'nt find 9 and were to tired to really try too hard. On the way out we stopped to take some pictures at the overlooks and my husband was too tired to get out of the truck. The best overlooks are at the back of the picnic area. We spent 5 1/2 hours there and we loved it.

WOW, FANTASTIC, LOVE IT.... Yes, all that and more. I really can't believe this place is not advertised more. It is a beautiful place to hike. I wanted to visit in the winter because I thought it would be hot for a summer trip. It was a perfect weather weekend. It is truly an amazing site. You will need good walking shoes because in total we walked 7.8 miles. You can do shorter walks but we thought we had to see everything. Dogs are welcome, just make sure they can walk that much because the hike up, you are too tired to carry any extra. Just a 5.00 parking fee. If you don't want to hike the bottom of the canyons there are viewing areas that have excellent views as well. Thank you Georgia for a great park!

This place is fantastic. Just wanted to say a few things for anyone considering a trip out--the floor of the canyon is generally wet, a couple of inches of water sometimes. Best to wear boots or something. If you have kids, you can't bring a stroller down unfortunately because to get to the canyon floor trails you have to first hike/climb down an EXTREMELY long staircase/gravelly incline. But it is well worth it!

Great park with good trails! There were picnic areas and camping areas! The canyons were huge and beautiful!

We spent a day there in January. The canyon is very much like Bryce Canyon in Utah on a smaller scale. A sunny day in winter gives the best views. The coloring of the cliffs and "hoodoos" is spectacular. The trails are easy both down into the canyon and back up to the rim. Wonderful day trip from many areas in the south. The only fee is a $5.oo park pass.

I went solo hiking here on a sunny Tuesday in January and it was 68 and perfect. There is a $5 parking fee by honor system (though there's a sensor at the guard shack like at a full serve gas station so perhaps someone is notified of car arrivals)I did the 7 mile red blaze loop in about an hour and a half (maybe faster than most as i did a bit of trail running). started out at the bottom of a steep downhill in a muddy creek bed which dried up to a flat and extremely clearly marked trail til about mile three, then It continued up and down some hills. Shaded the whole way. Definitely a lot of mud, I recommend hiking boots. As far as dramatic views of the canyon, i got all of those walking the rim along the fences, the red blaze trail was more about the surrounding woods then the red canyon floor. No cell service so make sure you print a map or save a map to your phone photos. i had a little trouble finding the trail to the canyon floor. There are several signs telling you it's behind the visitors center without actually pointing out where the visitor center is. After passing the guard shack i parked immediately and then walked all the way around the rim to the visitors center (so great views all the way there) but if you continue driving around the rim, you'll see the visitors center on your left. Even if the visitors center is closed, they have maps available on the wall and you need to sign in before venturing down. There was a bit of trail trash, wrappers and things, which i picked up and packed out. Make sure you secure your trash and take it home with you! There are no trash cans on the trails.

We went at the end of January on a sunny day, temp was about 55 deg. We took two adults and 5 kids ages 10-15. The place was packed as it was the first nice weekend in about a month. We spent about 3 hours there hiking the canyon and having a picnic lunch. We would have spent longer but it was getting dark. The kids had a blast climbing. It is very beautiful here. We went in June of last year and the trees covered up most of the canyon walls. This time the trees had lost their leaves and you could really see how awesome the park is. I would suggest going in early spring to really enjoy this park and its beauty. Everyone had a blast and we will be going back for more very soon!

This place is great! lots of trails, picnic areas, playgrounds, and breathtaking views! There are mine separate canyons to explore. A blast for couples and families!

I grew up in Southern UT and spent a lot of time hiking the sandstone walls and ridges and playing on the sand dunes in the colorful canyons. I was very excited to see similar colors of canyons here in Georgia to bring my kids to. What a fun place. My boys had the best time. The walls of the canyons however are not sandstone but Georgia clay and sand. Climbing on the in walls is therefore prohibited, way too soft, picture enormous colorful sand castles.. We did climb in spots where others had obviously marked a path and it was very fun. The day we went the canyon floors did have water but it was manageable with just tennis shoes, my 3 yr old was sporting rain boots which was a very good thing. Mud, sticks and hiking made for some very dirty boys. We changed clothes once we got to the top. As far as the trails, the trail to the left out the visitor center that follows the fence is the one to do for overlooks, the one to the right th at goes into the canyons will get you to the floor. Canyons 1 through 5 are to the left at the first riverbed to get to trails 6-9 you need to follow the trail straight over the river bed along the white blaze trail and left at the next riverbed. It was very poorly marked. Awesome trip! Worth the 3 hour drive.

We spent about 2 1/2 hours exploring the canyon and walking the rim trail. Each canyon was unique and this trail was family friendly. I strongly recommended this if you are in plains or Columbus Georgia.

Beautiful area and site. The hike was nice and the landscape was amazing. What colors!!! We enjoyed the canyon walls and river floor.

I am a huge fan of the state parks but this was not that great - mainly due to the history. This canyon is very "young" only having been a state park since 1971. The canyon itself is "man-made" due to bad farming practices in the 1800's. Additionally, the canyon is still "growing" as it continues to erode. So the next time you or I visit, the canyon will have changed.It is very much a "little grand canyon" with the colors. The canyon is only visible from above from specific vantage points due to young trees and vegetation. The walk through the bottom is better.The park is understaffed due to budget cuts. There was one person at the gate when we got there and the interpretive center was closed upon our arrival but opened as we began our hike. When we concluded our hike, it was closed again (5pm). The sign on the door states that it is permanently closed due to funding...but not really?Additionally, we were completing the Canyon Climb - there was no one at the park to punch our card. After following the instructions on the card, we went to Florence Marina to get the cards punched. The visitor's center closed at 5 - we got there at 5:30. Needless to say we did not get our cards punched OR any souvenirs.

What a lovely day we had hiking Providence Canyon State Park. I had no idea anything like that even existed in the area. We might as well have been out west. We hiked Thanksgiving weekend and it was a little damp down in the canyon but not so bad that we couldn't manage. Small park fee and highly recommend.

My husband and I visited this place and had a wonderful time! The price for admission is very inexpensive and on an honor system, which I find very respectable. After arriving we couldn't wait to see all of the scenery. We hiked the shorter course and took us around 3 hours to get a good look at everything. The only part I was displeased with was the fact that I couldn't see the canyons from the top of the trail, turns out that I never did and only saw them once we were in the parking lot. Not a big deal tho, you can't move the canyons.