Russian Gulch is a river that starts at an elevation of about 800 feet (244 m) on the northwestern flank of Hi Chute Ridge in the California Coast Ranges and flows generally northwest for 5 miles (8 km) to the Pacific Ocean, draining a watershed of 2,456 acres (994 ha) in Russian Gulch State Park, about 2 miles (3.3 km) north of Mendocino and 7 miles (11 km) south of Fort Bragg, California.