gulches

Narrow mountain valleys

Gulches is the plural of gulch, a narrow ravine with steep sides, typically carved by a stream or flash flood.

The word is especially associated with the American West, where mining camps often sprang up in gulches: prospectors panning for gold in mountain gulches.

A gulch is smaller than a canyon but deeper than a gully.

terrain

rugged

Tough and uneven

steepRising at sharp angle
narrowOf small width
rockyCovered with stones

impassable · treacherous · remote · wilderness · backcountry · badlands · mesas · ridges · outcrops · scrambling

landform

ravines

Steep-sided narrow valleys

canyonsDeep, narrow valleys
arroyosArid-region drainage channels
gorgesSteep-walled river valleys

draws · coulees · washes · crevices · defiles · notches · gaps · clefts · hollows · valleys

erosion

runoff

Excess water drainage

flash floodsSwift, unexpected water surges
watershedsRegions draining to outlets
drainageLiquid removal system

sediment · alluvial · streambeds · dry washes · carved · weathered · silt · debris · cutbanks · downcutting

mining

claims

Statements of truth

placerMineral-rich sediment accumulation
sluiceGated water conduit
prospectingSearching for mineral wealth

gold · panning · diggings · strikes · tailings · ore · creek beds · gravel · deposits · miners

gulches

rugged

ravines

runoff

claims

gulches

Opposites

Phrases

Categories

Family