Providence Canyon State Park in Lumpkin, Georgia

Eric & I drove to Providence Canyon State Park 

in Lumpkin.

This section of Georgia is part of the Coastal Plain.  Sixty percent of Georgia was covered by ocean millions of years ago.  Sediments deposited by ocean waves were compacted and, over time, became soft limestone.  

Known as "The Little Grand Canyon," Providence Canyon is a series of gorges in Southwest Georgia created by erosion of soft, multicolored soils.  Settlers removed the native trees and farmed the land.  Farming practices of the 18th and 19th centuries didn't include soil erosion prevention.  Ravines started to form in the early 1800s. By the 1850s, gullies three to five feet deep were formed. These ravines channeled more rainwater and the cuts in the earth became deeper, eventually becoming gorges.

This geologic wonder is a mere 160 years old!

 The canyon was named for the Providence Methodist Church, 

which was established in 1832.

 The original church & schoolhouse were situated on the land

between the two main gorges...  The land beneath
the buildings eroded away.

 The soils exposed are white, tan, orange...

 ... rust and black.

Visitors can view the canyon from the rim &
hike the rails to the canyon floor.

 Providence Canyon is ever changing.  Heavy rains
washed away six feet of canyon floor.