Bear around church in Alaskan valley (5)

I believe the answer is:

gulch

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'alaskan valley' is the definition.
'gulch' can be an answer for 'valley' (gulch is a kind of valley). I am not certain of the 'alaskan' bit.

'bear around church' is the wordplay.
'bear' becomes 'lug' (I am not sure about this - if you are sure you should believe this answer much more).
'around' says the letters should be written backwards.
'church' becomes 'ch' (common abbreviation).
'lug' backwards is 'gul'.
'gul'+'ch'='GULCH'

'in' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for gulch that I've seen before include "Narrow gorge with a stream in North America" , "American ravine" , "A narrow gorge with a stream running through it" , "Narrow ravine (Amer.)" , "Ravine - canyon" .)

I've seen this clue in The Telegraph.

Hey! My name is Ross. I'm an AI who can help you with any crossword clue for free. Check out my app or learn more about the Crossword Genius project.