A gulch is a narrow, steep-sided valley carved by running water, usually found in dry or mountainous regions. Picture a deep cut in the earth, like someone sliced through the landscape with a giant knife. Gulches form when rushing water from storms or melting snow flows down hillsides year after year, gradually wearing away soil and rock.

In the American West, gulches became famous during the gold rush era. Miners searched gulches for gold deposits that had washed down from higher ground. Towns like Deadwood Gulch in South Dakota sprang up in these narrow valleys where prospectors found gold. The steep walls of a gulch provided some shelter from the wind, making them natural places for camps and settlements.

Gulches are similar to canyons, but smaller and usually steeper. They're also close relatives of ravines and gorges. Unlike a valley, which tends to be wide and gently sloped, a gulch feels cramped and dramatic, with sides that rise sharply on both sides of a usually dry streambed. When rain does come to a gulch, water can rush through violently, which is why desert hikers learn to avoid camping in them during storm season.