Fred Hayes at Starvation

Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation encompasses approximately 3,500 acres around the 3,310-acre Starvation Reservoir in Duchesne County, northeastern Utah. Located at 5,712 feet elevation in the Uinta Basin near the town of Duchesne, the park offers boating, fishing, swimming, and camping in a scenic high desert setting surrounded by colorful badlands and sandstone formations. The reservoir, impounded by the Bureau of Reclamation as part of the Central Utah Project, provides irrigation and municipal water while serving as one of the primary recreation destinations in the Uinta Basin. The park was renamed in 2021 to honor Fred Hayes, who served as director of Utah State Parks for over two decades.

Starvation Reservoir creates an important aquatic habitat in the otherwise arid Uinta Basin landscape. The reservoir supports an excellent warm and cold water fishery, with walleye being the premier game fish. Rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass, and yellow perch are also present. The Strawberry River inlet attracts spawning fish and fishing birds. Bald eagles overwinter along the reservoir, and ospreys are present during summer. The surrounding desert and sagebrush landscapes support mule deer, pronghorn antelope, coyotes, and jackrabbits. Raptors including golden eagles, red-tailed hawks, and prairie falcons patrol the open terrain. The colorful badlands formations support sparse wildlife, but lizards, rattlesnakes, and various small mammals inhabit the rocky areas.

The vegetation around Starvation Reservoir is dominated by the high desert sagebrush-steppe ecosystem of the Uinta Basin. Big sagebrush, greasewood, and rabbitbrush cover the rolling hills and plateaus. Shadscale, four-wing saltbush, and winterfat occupy the more alkaline soils of the badlands areas. Native bunchgrasses including Indian ricegrass, bluebunch wheatgrass, and western wheatgrass grow among the shrubs. Cottonwoods and willows line the Strawberry River above the reservoir. Juniper trees appear on the higher ridges and rocky outcrops. The badlands areas, composed of colorful but infertile clays and shales, support only sparse drought-adapted vegetation. The landscape's muted greens, grays, and tans contrast with the vivid reds, purples, and yellows of the exposed geological formations.

The colorful landscape around Starvation Reservoir exposes Tertiary-age formations of the Uinta Basin, a structural depression that accumulated thousands of feet of sediment as the Uinta Mountains rose to the north. The Green River Formation and Uinta Formation, consisting of lake-deposited shales, sandstones, and oil shales, are prominently exposed in the badlands surrounding the reservoir. These formations, deposited in ancient Lake Uinta approximately 40-50 million years ago, contain the massive oil shale deposits for which the Uinta Basin is known. The vivid reds, purples, and grays of the eroded formations create a distinctive and photogenic landscape. The Strawberry River has carved through these soft formations, and the dam site takes advantage of resistant bedrock at a canyon constriction.

Starvation Reservoir experiences a semi-arid continental climate with hot summers, cold winters, and about 10 inches of annual precipitation. Summer temperatures reach the upper 80s to mid-90s Fahrenheit, with low humidity making the reservoir a refreshing destination. Winters are cold with temperatures regularly dropping below zero, and moderate snowfall. The reservoir freezes in winter, allowing ice fishing. Spring is windy and dry, with reservoir levels rising from snowmelt runoff from the Strawberry River watershed. Summer thunderstorms bring brief but sometimes intense rain. The long, sunny days and warm water temperatures make summer the prime recreation season. Fall brings pleasant temperatures and excellent fishing conditions.

The Uinta Basin has been home to indigenous peoples for thousands of years. The Ute people have inhabited the basin since approximately 1300 CE and continue to occupy the Uintah and Ouray Reservation, which encompasses much of the surrounding area. The name Starvation references a local legend about settlers or Native Americans who endured severe hardship in the area during a harsh winter. Euro-American settlement in the basin began in the 1860s-1870s, with ranching, farming, and later oil and gas extraction becoming the primary economic activities. The Central Utah Project, authorized in 1956, was a massive water development initiative that included the construction of Starvation Dam, completed in 1970, as part of a system to deliver water from the Uinta Basin to the Wasatch Front.

The state park was established following the completion of Starvation Dam and Reservoir in 1970. Originally named Starvation State Park, it was renamed Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation in 2021 to honor the longtime Utah State Parks director who served from 1993 to 2017. The park developed its recreation facilities over several decades, with campground expansion, marina improvements, and beach development. The walleye fishery, established through stocking in the 1980s, has become the park's signature attraction, drawing anglers from across Utah and neighboring states. The park provides an important recreation and economic resource for the relatively isolated communities of the Uinta Basin.

The reservoir is the park's primary attraction, offering motorized boating, waterskiing, jet skiing, and fishing. The walleye fishery is the main angling draw, with trophy fish over 10 pounds caught regularly. Rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass, and yellow perch provide additional fishing opportunities. A swim beach provides summer swimming access. The park offers approximately 3 miles of hiking trails through the colorful badlands formations surrounding the reservoir, providing unique desert scenery and photography opportunities. The campground offers tent and RV sites with reservoir views. Ice fishing is popular during winter. The park serves as a base for exploring the broader Uinta Basin, including the Ashley National Forest and the Uinta Mountains to the north.

Fred Hayes State Park at Starvation is located approximately 4 miles northwest of the town of Duchesne on US Highway 40 in northeastern Utah. The park is approximately 120 miles east of Salt Lake City. Facilities include campgrounds with electric hookups and modern restrooms, a marina with boat ramp, a swim beach, picnic areas, and a park office. A valid Utah State Parks day-use or annual pass is required. The park is open year-round, with peak season from May through September. Duchesne provides basic services, and Roosevelt and Vernal offer additional amenities. No commercial airports serve the immediate area; Salt Lake City International Airport is the nearest major hub.

Conservation at Starvation Reservoir focuses on water management, fisheries conservation, and managing impacts from energy development in the Uinta Basin. Water operations by the Bureau of Reclamation balance irrigation delivery, municipal supply, and environmental flow requirements. The walleye and trout fisheries are managed through stocking programs and harvest regulations. Water quality monitoring addresses concerns about sedimentation and potential impacts from oil and gas operations in the watershed. The mandatory boat inspection program prevents aquatic invasive species introduction. The park's badlands formations are geologically fragile and managed to prevent erosion from off-trail use. The park works with the Ute Tribe on issues affecting the surrounding reservation lands.