Having lived in Georgia for 39 years I had never heard about Providence Canyon until a few years ago. Once I did, I added it to my bucket list. We finally made it there for a day trip, and it is a magical place despite how it came to be.
The canyon was formed due to agricultural practices that left deep ravines. The state park's website describes it as "a testament to the power of man’s influence on the land. Massive gullies as deep as 150 feet were caused simply by poor farming practices during the 1800s."
However it was formed, it has created a great place for fun family hikes, tourism and beautiful photos. We started our day near the visitor center and made our way down to the canyon floor. If you're planning a trip, make sure to wear footwear that you don't mind getting wet or dirty. The canyon floor stays wet from what I understand and despite a lack of rain, it was wet the day we went.
We followed the trail signs to the marked canyons and saw many people disobeying the no climbing signs. Eventually, we made our way back up the White Blaze trail toward canyons 6-9. This outer part of the trail had fewer people, and it winds back up to the rim trail and parking. As you walk your way to the top you'll find this part of the trail is dotted with old abandoned cars. The cars once belonged to the homestead and were left in place to avoid causing any additional damage to the environment that would have happened by removing them.
When we arrived at the top of the rim we looked across to the playground and saw someone had climbed almost to the top (see photo). I kid you not when I say everywhere we turned people were climbing.
If you're planning a visit to Providence Canyon, only primitive camping is available, but there are other campsites nearby. And if you'd like a souvenir of your trip, here's a shameless plug for my park posters. Safe travels!