The 8200 acre lake is the second largest lake in New Mexico. It was created in 1963 with construction of the 5,750-foot-long earth-filled Ute Dam, which impounds the Canadian River and is also fed by Ute Creek. It is also the the largest Labyrinth Weir Spillway Facility in the world. A labyrinth weir is an overflow weir folded in plan view to provide a longer total effective length for a given overall spillway width. Although labyrinth weirs are commonly used in hydraulic structures for flow control, little is known about their fish passage characteristics.

The state park has three paved ramps on the north side and two on the south side for boating, water skiing, scuba diving, swimming, sailing, fishing and wind surfing. Windsurfing is popular on the lake, especially in the spring. Visitors can rent small boats and pedal-boats and purchase fishing and boating supplies at the marina. Several sandy beaches are in the north area, which also has picnic tables and campsites. In fact, the camping throughout the park is extensive, with 200 campsites available, 80 of which have hookups. Most of the campsites have good views and easy access to the lake, and showers are available in two areas.