We never heard of this
place. We told friends that we planned on camping in Marianna, FL and as part
of the trip hoped to get to some of the Georgia State Parks. They told us not
to miss this one, and emailed some photographs they took.
Intrigued by the photographs
and the information found on the Internet, we decided to add it to our list.
According to the Georgia park’s site, the massive gullies extend as far as 150
feet deep. Erosion from poor farming practices in the 1800s caused this
man-made wonder. We planned our trip for a Wednesday to coincide with the
visitor center opening days. Through the gift shop a door leads to a small but
very well done history and interpretation of the area. From there, we left and
walked down to the canyon floor. The trail can be steep and curvy in places,
and the trip back up somewhat strenuous. We saw several people coming back up pausing
to catch their breath as we made our way down. Wear shoes that can get wet, and
be aware that the reddish Georgia earth will stain from the rivulets of water
etching the ground at the bottom.
We followed the signs
to the canyons and came upon the first cliff face. It was mid-morning on a hot,
clear, sunny day, and all the colors in the face of the cliff showed
beautifully. A jogger went by, clearly a local person who used the trail and
canyon for her morning run, and we saw several people along the way walking
their dogs. One woman told us she started coming there before the state created
the trail, and loved it so much she still visits all the time.
 |
| Karl walking along trail |
The park opens at 7
a.m., and during the hotter weather arriving early would make the hike more
comfortable. The admission is $5. I took a lot of photographs. A polarizing
filter would have been helpful, but I did not have one with me and still
managed some good shots.
Here is part 1 of the photographs.
The next blog will be a photo essay of more of the canyons.
No comments:
Post a Comment