West Fork of the Duchesne River

Location and description

The West Fork of the Duchesne River flows roughly 16 miles from its headwaters to its confluence with the North Fork just north of Hanna, Utah.

West Fork of the Duchesne River

Game fish species and methods

This productive little stream maintains a population of native Colorado River cutthroat trout as well as a naturally reproducing population of brown trout. Angler Tip: imitate natural foods. Match the hatches of aquatic insects and look on the banks for terrestrial insects such as cicadas, ants and grasshoppers. Special regulation water, see proclamation for details.

Access and facilities

Access to the lower West Fork is through private property while the upper portion is Ashley National Forest land. The paved Wolf Creek Road, SR-35, parallels the stream just north of Hanna, eventually heading north along Wolf Creek. A gravel road continues to follow the West Fork westerly to its headwaters on Forest Service lands.

Public access along the stream corridor through private lands has been acquired as partial mitigation for the Central Utah Project. These angler access easements only allow pedestrian access along a relatively narrow corridor along the streambank. The public is not allowed to cross through private property, such as large roadside pastures, to access the river corridor. Access to the easement corridor is only possible from the marked pullouts along the Wolf Creek Road and near the upstream Forest boundary. These easements allow for angling only; other uses, such as big game or waterfowl hunting, are not permitted.

There are no developed campgrounds along the West Fork, but the Forest Service allows some primitive camping. The closest food, gas and lodging can be found in Tabiona, Hanna and Duchesne.