Directions
Mormon Gap Reservoir is located in Millard County, Utah. The reservoir sits 12 miles south of Pruess Lake on UT-21. From the city of Beaver you can take highway UT-21 westbound for 90 miles. The reservoir is three tenths of a mile off of the highway to the east. There is dirt road that leads to the lake. From Delta you can take highway 50 west for 87.5 miles to the Garrison turn off. Then go south on UT-159 for 8.2 miles. The road will turn into UT-21 which you will follow for 16.5 miles south until you hit the dirt road turnoff.
Other Info
The reservoir is a very small pond that dries up frequently. I was there in the spring of 2019, the Reservoir was completely dry. There is no fish planted here due to the inconsistency of water. The water that finds it’s way here, is used primarily for grazing animals.
Name Origin
The reservoir is named after Mormon Gap which is a short distance to the west. The Burbank Hills extends off of the Mountain Home Range. There is a gap between the two mountain ranges, where highway UT-21 runs through.
History
Mormon Gap Reservoir was constructed in 1939 by the Civilian Conservation Corps or CCC. The CCC was created by Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, which gave jobs to unskilled and unemployed men. This was the first major reservoir built by Burbank Camp DG-117. Some had doubts of rather the dam would be able to resist the storms. Although after the first big storm the reservoir filled with water and the dam worked flawlessly. The Division of Grazing worked with Camp Burbank to construct the Mormon Gap Reservoir dam. The dam is an earth-core structure with mortared stone and cement wings for the protection of the dam and to act as spillways. The construction was aided by a brand new Caterpillar RD6. Starting this 3 cylinder diesel can be quite the process.
OHV
The trailhead for the popular Burbank Hills ATV trail starts here. There are over 98.3 miles of trail to explore. The trail takes you through the scenic Snake Valley and Burbank Hills. This is an excellent place to view antelope, and some cool looking rocks. All the trails should have signs as well.
Nearby places to fish
Pruess Lake (Garrison Reservoir), East Antelope Reservoir (no fish), Sevier Lake, Sevier River, Baker Reservoir (Nevada), Minersville Reservoir, Gunnison Bend Reservoir, and DMAD Reservoir.