Spring semester just got a little bit more exciting thanks to Providence Canyon, the number one weekend getaway for students. Located in the unfortunately named Lumpkin, Georgia, Providence Canyon is only a two-and-a-half-hour drive from the Florida State University and a perfect distance for a day trip away from school.

For those who enjoy hiking, or at least enjoy the idea of hiking, Providence Canyon is the perfect place. Providence Canyon is beautiful, and there are three miles of hiking trails, some of which interlock with small streams. There are also seven miles of back country backpacking trails beyond the canyon.

The thing that makes Providence Canyon remarkable is how out of place it is for being in Georgia. Because of its resemblance to the big daddy canyon in Arizona, Providence Canyon is also known as Georgia’s “Little Grand Canyon." Providence Canyon’s soil is known for its pink, orange, red, and purple hues, which look great in photographs, as you may have seen on Instagram in the past couple of weeks.

I believe the reason Providence Canyon is so popular is thanks to Instagram and the check-in location function. When I first visited Providence Canyon a year ago, it was the first stop on a hiking trip to Tennessee, and I had never heard about it before. I think Providence Canyon is great, but it also blows my mind how every time I check Instagram, it seems as though someone else has uploaded a photo from the park when I didn’t know that they even liked hiking in the first place. Don’t believe me? Click here to look at the Instagram check-in location for Providence Canyon State Park and count how many FSU sorority girls you can find.

Providence Canyon is an awesome place to see, and sure, it is slowly becoming a basic location to visit, but at least people are appreciating nature. If anyone is interested in trying something new, I highly suggest paying Providence Canyon a visit, but also, keeping a few things in mind before going.

My first, and most important, piece of advice is to please not hop the fence when it clearly says that it’s unsafe. The entire canyon is made up of very fine, very unstable clay, and though most of Providence Canyon is safe to explore, certain areas are likely to break away. Everyone thinks that they are invincible until they are the one disaster story gone wrong. The photo is not worth it if you die in the process.

Secondly, there is something a little bit creepy about Providence Canyon you should look out for, and that is the abandoned cars. I am not going to lie, the rusty cars look straight out of a horror movie. but according to park rangers, the cars remain at the canyon because moving them would risk destroying the homes of many animal species who reside in the park. This reason seems sweet enough, but it literally looks as though people drove to the canyon and never made it out alive. If the park rangers ever do consider moving the cars to a proper junk yard, might I suggest the Avery’s Auto Salvage from "Making a Murderer?"

If you’re looking for a fun getaway for the weekend, try visiting Providence Canyon. It’s fun and an awesome adventure to shake things up. I mean, it’s better than visiting the University of Florida.