Coulee

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For unskilled laborers from Asia in the 1800s, see Coolie.

A view upwards towards a section of the wall which sticks out into the canyon. There is a marsh in the foreground.

A view through a coulee, with steep but lower sides, and water in the bottom.

Drumheller Channels in the Columbia Basin of Washington

A coulee (or coulée) is a deep steep-sided ravine formed by erosion, commonly found in the northwestern United States and southwestern Canada. Most coulees were originally formed during the rapid melting of the glaciers at the end of the last ice age. Some coulees are dry for most of the year; others may contain small streams. The loose rocks at the base of the wall form what are called scree slopes. These are formed when chunks of the canyon wall give way in a rockslide. Coulees provide shelter from wind and concentrated water supplies to plants which would otherwise have a hard time surviving in the sagebrush steppe. Trees are often found next to streams in coulees and at the base of their walls.

The word coulee comes from the French Canadian coulée, from French word couler meaning "to flow".

The term is often used interchangeably in the Great Plains for any number of water features, from ponds to creeks.

An alternate meaning for this term exists in southern Louisiana where it identifies a large, paved channel for water runoff.