Providence Canyon State Park is one of the hidden gems of Georgia. It’s nicknamed the “Little Grand Canyon” and for good reason. The canyons are incredible, and if it weren’t for the greenery you might believe you were in Arizona. Kemper and I decided that before we go to the actual Grand Canyon, we wanted to visit Georgia’s version. We went at the end of February, and it was awesome!

Camping at Providence Canyon State Park

The only camping options at Providence Canyon State Park are backcountry sites. We considered it, but the hike in was ultimately further than we wanted to walk. The backcountry sites are great if you want more privacy and isolation. However, they’re pretty far off of the canyons themselves, and it’s a strenuous haul. There is no vehicle access of any sort, so you need to be able to carry all of your gear with you. It’s true backcountry, with no access to water or electricity.

We decided to camp at Florence Marina State Park

We stayed at a drive-up site at Florence Marina State Park. It’s is about a 10 minute drive from Providence Canyon, but this state park has more camping options. The parking passes at Florence Marina also work at Providence Canyon, so you don’t have to pay twice.

If you’re interested in fishing, this is a great place to go. It was beautiful, the staff was helpful, and the bathrooms were nice and clean. Our site had your typical hookups for water and electricity. I would stay there again!

If you’re new to camping, I have a few of my favorite camping essentials (including our 4-person tent pictured above) linked on my favorites page.

Day 1 Hiking at Providence Canyon State Park

We arrived on a Friday, and left on a Monday. Both Saturday and Sunday we hiked at Providence Canyon. The first day we focused on the canyons. We hiked the Canyon Loop Trail, and down to the canyon floor for the Canyons 1-9 trails. It was muddy, so I recommend waterproof shoes that you don’t mind getting dirty. I wore these women’s hiking boots, and they were perfect! All in all though, it was beautiful! We saw many dogs and kids as well.

The canyons can start to look the same, but I enjoyed seeing all of them. You can decide for yourself if you want to go to all nine.

Day 2 we hiked the Backcountry Trail

This trail is around the outer edges of the park, and doesn’t include much of the canyon. Though there are a few spots you can see the canyon, it’s mainly a standard forrest trail. It’s posted as a strenuous 4 hour hike. I can attest that this is accurate! We enjoyed it, but it was the harder and less scenic of the trail options.

The perks of this trail are that it is less crowded, and there are some great hilltop views! There is also a section with several rusted out old cars.

When we weren’t hiking, we relaxed in our Eno hammocks, listened to music or audiobooks, and made yummy meals. The weather was great and both parks provided a wonderful experience. 10/10 would recommend going to see the “little grand canyon”!

If you have any questions about our trip, or camping in general, leave a comment below! I never thought I’d be the type to go camping and love it, but here we are! 🙂

Read about my first camping trip at General Coffee State Park here.

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