"The Little Grand Canyon"

by Christopher Harper

I was amazed when my wife and I paid a visit “Georgia’s "Little Grand Canyon.” The massive gullies, some as deep as 150 feet, were caused by poor farming practices during the 1800s. Hikers who venture into the deepest canyons will sometimes find a thin layer of water along the trail, indicative of the water table below. Colorful flowers, as well as the multi-colored hues of pink, orange, red and purple,of the canyon soil. It makes for a photographers dream at this unique park. The rare Plumleaf Azalea grows only in this region and blooms during July and by late August ,most azaleas have lost their color .   
     While the visitor center is no longer open, hikers can enjoy views of the canyons from the rim trail, and backpackers can stay overnight along the backcountry trail. Day-hikers and backpackers,are urged to use caution on trails and to not go beyond fences or overlooks. Erosion can cause the canyon walls to collapse.

    We managed to do all the trails in the park on our short stay. There are 2 trails, the 3 mile canyon trail(White Blaze), and the 7 mile backpacking trail(Red Blaze). The 7-mile  backcountry trail does require a permit you can get at the visitor center. The Red Blaze Trail starts on a creek bed off of the White Blaze trail at the bottom of the canyon. The trail's difficulty level is easy to moderate and mainly winds through a mixture of hardwood and pine forest,as you hike, watch for blowdowns along the trail. There are 6 backcountry campsites ($9.00/night) spaced out along the trail with firerings. The designated campsite where we camped that night had no water or electricity, so be sure to pack in enough water for the duration of your stay(we had 4 gallons; 1 gal/day per person for the two night stay).The high light of the trail is getting to see the South Glory Hole, which is a big hole in the middle of a small clearing. Some of the trail is actually on the creek bed, which is sometimes muddy, so make sure to wear proper footgear.

The White Blaze Trail is the best trail if you want to see most of the canyon. The trails starts at the visitor center where we registered and got a few tips from the park rangers, and then started down the canyon through the hardwoods. Once at the bottom, the trail crossed what looked like a (most of the time) dry creek bed,but as you can see from the photo to the lef, the creekbed wasn't dry.. This trail, was not marked on the maps that we got at the visitor center, but trust me, you can go on these trails. These creek bed trails all  came to a dead end, but they were worth exploring. They are actually the bottom of the canyon, which provided a close look at the canyon's geology. Sometimes they got a bit narrow and seemed to end in brush, but they really kept going. You'll see once you are there. Make sure to bring proper footgear, because you will get muddy! The rest of the trail continued up the canyon and all the way around to get a really awsome view from the top. One of the interesting things that we saw, was the abandoned 1950-60's cars that are rusting away near the southeast side of the canyon, some of which nature has slowly began to reclaim.

There are basically, two trails two choose from; The White Blaze trail ( also known as the Canyon Loop trail), which is 2.45 miles in length;and the Back Country Loop which is 7-miles. The two trails can be done as a long dayhike, or  broken up into a weekender, with use of the designated campsites.
Below is a brief description of  the trails that my wife and I hiked. We hope that it will inspire you to pay a visit the" Little Grand Canyon"
The White Blaze Canyon Loop Trail circles nine of the canyons. To hike canyons 1-5 from the Visitor Center, hike ¼ of a mile down to the creek bed, and turn left, following the creek bed into the canyons. Hikers may reach canyons 6-9 by turning left into the second creek further down the Canyon Loop Trail. After arriving at the end of each canyon, backtrack out to return to the trail. Turn right on the Canyon Loop Trail to return to the Visitor Center, or turn left on the trail to continue the loop. While hiking through the day-use area, follow the fence line for the best overlooks. The soils are very fragile on the canyon walls, so no climbing is allowed from the canyon floor or rim. While hiking into the canyons, it is best to stay in the middle of the creek beds, because the soils on the side can be very muddy, similar to quicksand. The canyon floors are prone to be wet or muddy, so wear appropriate footwear.

The 7-mile Backcountry Trail (Rated extremely rugged and difficult) leads into the forested area off of the White Blaze Canyon Loop Trail. The beginning of it is ¼ of a mile down the Loop Trail at the creek bed itself. Instead of turning left into the canyons, turn right on the creek bed. This is the beginning of the Backcountry Trail, which winds through some River Birch. After about two miles, it becomes rugged, ascending a steep grade.Be sure to follow all trail saftey signs. At one point the trail reaches a stop sign.; at this point of the trail, you will follow a switchback back down to the canyon floor. The reason for this is that the trail collapses off both sides of the trail, forcing you to stop. It follows an old logging road, where most of the primitive campsites are located. At site #2, a shortcut is available which will shorten the trail about ¾ of a mile. Further down the trail, as the trail becomes rugged again, six canyons may be viewed, but they are not accessible to the hikers. The Backcountry Trail will dead-end into the Loop Trail, where hikers will turn right. This will continue through the day use area. Follow the fence line through the picnic area for the best overlooks, returning to the Visitor Center.

     We hope you enjoyed reading about our hike at "Georgia's Little Grand Canyon". If this sounds like a trip you would be intersted in, you can visit either of the links below: We hope to see you on the trail. Happy Trails!!

For maps, Directions, and additioanl iformation, visit:


http://bp2.trimbleoutdoors.com/ViewTrip.aspx?tripId=20782


Providence Canyon Hike