It first flows southeast, then turns east at the confluence of the Strawberry River, which enters from the west.

US Army engineer Captain Simpson's 10th infantry listed it as Des Chesney's fork of the Uinta river.

It is likely that the river was named by one of the French trappers who came into the area as early as 1808 with the Manuel Lisa trapping company but is more likely around 1824 with the Provost/Robidoux/Leclerc parties.

[6] In an average year, much of the flow is diverted for irrigation or through the Central Utah Project, which provides water for Salt Lake City and the Wasatch Front, Utah's largest metropolitan area, reducing the flow at the mouth to 378,000 acre-feet (466,000,000 m3).

However, in late spring and early summer of wet years, the Duchesne River can become a large torrent carrying many thousands of cubic feet of water per second.