Providence Canyon

Providence Canyon, sometimes called Georgia's "Little Grand Canyon," near Lumpkin, Georgia is one of the places I wanted to stop and do some hiking on my way north.

The massive gullies, up to 150 feet deep, that make up the canyon were caused by erosion, simply due to poor farming practices during the 1800s.

This historical marker tells a little bit about the start of the Providence farming community.

The second Providence Methodist Church was built about 1859 next to the Lowe Cemetery. 

One door was ajar, so I could get a couple of inside pictures. Notice what appear to be oil lanterns hanging from the ceiling. 

And the old stove. 

This marker was by the church and cemetery.

We wandered among the circa 1800s graves, but we did not locate the Lowes. Some graves were not marked. Thistle said it was getting too hot to keep looking.

There are a lot of warning signs outside the Visitor Center.

My original desire was to hike into the canyon, but I got started on my trip a month later than planned, and it is much too hot to attempt it now. 

It's hard to miss all these warning signs. 

This sand painting is meant to represent the colorful layers of the canyon walls.

Thistle and I decided it was prudent to stick to the shady rim trail during this visit. 

And he quickly let me know that it was nearing 90 degrees and was really too hot for him even on the rim trail. 

So I got pictures of some of the views from the rim before we returned to our air-conditioned car.

There is water on the canyon floor all year, and that water eventually flows into the Chattahoochee River.

The canyon soil's pink, orange, red and purple hues create lovely landscape photos of this quiet park.

Erosion is an ongoing event in the canyon.

And at least some of it is caused by hikers ignoring the "No Climbing" warnings. 

This hiker climbed all the way to the top of the photo...and without any climbing gear. 

Every now and then they have a ranger-led geology hike here. I signed up for one when I thought I would be here in March, but had to cancel. Maybe next year I can take one. 

When I come back in cooler weather, I will leave Thistle home for the hike into the canyon.