Lake Dolores Waterpark

Lake Dolores Waterpark
A sign in the waterpark's parking lot, February 2008.
Address	72 Hacienda Road, Newberry Springs, CA 92365
Opened	May 1962
Closed	Summer 2004
Previous names	Lake Dolores Rock–A–Hoola Waterpark Discovery Waterpark
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Lake Dolores Waterpark (which also operated under the names Lake Dolores, Rock–A–Hoola Waterpark, and Discovery Waterpark) is a defunct waterpark in Newberry Springs in the Mojave Desert of Southern California.

Planning and construction

The park was originally designed and built by local businessman Bob Byers for use by his extended family. Lake Dolores was named after Byers' wife.

The initial phases of conception, planning and construction took place in the late 1950s and early 1960s. An expanse of arid land on the eastern edge of the Mojave Desert 100 yards (91 m) from Interstate 15 was chosen for the project. The area contains underground springs fed by the Mojave Aquifer. Lake Dolores (the body of water) is a 273-acre (110 ha) man-made lake fed by underground springs.

In May of 1962 a basic campground adjacent to the small lake was opened to the public. Enthusiasts of Motocross (off–road motorcycle racing) and people traveling on Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas gave the campground some business.

Lake Dolores Waterpark

Over the next 25 years, rides and attractions were added, and the site evolved into a waterpark, which was advertised on television with the slogan "The Fun Spot of The Desert!"

The park saw its peak attendance between the early 1970s and the mid 1980s. After a downturn in popularity in the late 1980s, the park closed.

Rides and attractions

The park featured eight identical 150-foot (46 m) sixty–degree–angle steel waterslides mounted side by side on a man–made hill. Riders rode on small plastic "floaties" which skimmed 40 to 50 yards (37 to 46 m) across the lagoon when they hit the water at the slide's end.

Nearby were two V–shaped waterslides, also roughly 150 feet (46 m) long, which were ridden standing up. The slides ended about 15 feet (4.6 m) above the water, shooting the standing rider out of the end like a human cannonball.

On the "Zip–Cord" ride, riders hung from a hand–held device attached to a guide wire for approximately 200 feet (61 m) at a 30–degree downward angle. At the end of this wire the hand–grip would slam into a blocking mechanism and come to a stop about 20 feet (6.1 m) above the water, with the momentum thrusting the hanging rider 20 feet (6.1 m) forward into the lagoon.

In the middle of a smaller adjacent lake were three high diving boards, and three trapeze-like swings hanging from an A–frame structure mounted on a 20-foot (6.1 m) high platform. Riders launched themselves from these swings into the lake.

The "Big Bopper" was a fast, long group raft ride. The "Lazy River" was a slower and more relaxed raft ride. There were also bumper boats, an oval JetSki water racetrack, and a swimming pool.

Rock–A–Hoola Waterpark

Byers sold the defunct park in August of 1990 to a three–member investment group led by Oxnard businessman Terry Christensen, who envisioned a more polished park with a 1950s theme.

In 1995, the original waterslides on the hill were removed to make room for new installations. The park reopened under a new name, "Rock–A–Hoola", on July 4, 1998. The new park featured the constant playing of 1950s and 1960s Rock and Roll music throughout the park. In its "Rock–A–Hoola" incarnation, the park included a river ride on inflated tubes.

An on–premise RV park had been planned but its opening was delayed. In its three seasons the park amassed three million dollars in debt, one of the three investors experienced financial problems, and the park filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2000.

The court–appointed trustee failed to find a buyer, and in August 2000 the bankruptcy filing was changed to Chapter 7 liquidation. The bankruptcy judge overseeing the case returned the property to Dolores Byers (Bob Byers had died in 1996) with most debts discharged.

Dolores Byers sold the property in September 2001 to S.L. Investment Group LLC of the City of Industry, California and died a month later.

Discovery Waterpark

After a $400,000 renovation the waterpark reopened in May 2002 under a new name, "Discovery Waterpark". In 2002 and 2003, the park was open on weekends. During the last season of operation in the summer of 2004, the park operated intermittently. The park has been closed since the summer of 2004.

Desolation and ruin

In 2003, Olympic Gold Medalist and former professional football player Ron Brown and the Pro Players Network, a group of former and current professional athletes, formulated a proposal to purchase the park and turn it into a camp for disadvantaged youths, but this effort failed.

In recent years the park's hardware has been sold piecemeal. The "Big Bopper" waterslide was dismantled and shipped to Canada. It is now "Colossal Canyon" at Cultus Lake Waterpark near Vancouver.

The water slides and attractions are now gone. Repeatedly vandalized, much of the park is in now in ruins.

In January 2009 the park appeared in an episode of the reality show Rob & Big on MTV. Professional skateboarder Rob Dyrdek and friends used the waterpark and its slides to perform skateboard stunts for the show.

External links

Text links

• Rock-A-Hoola Waterpark at Modern Day Ruins
• Lake Dolores/Rock-A-Hoola Waterpark blog at Quartz City
• Lake Dolores at Facebook
• 1998 Press Release announcing future development
• News story about employee accident and lawsuit (Metropolitan News-Enterprise, April 12, 2004)

Photo links

• October 2009 Photos before vandalism occurred
• July 2010 night time pictures of the park
• The ruins of Lake Dolores - photo essay
• Photos of trapeze strings and stand-up slides in action, at Flickr
• 2009 photos of defunct installations, at Flickr
• Satellite Photo of Rock-A-Hoola / Lake Dolores Waterpark on Google Maps

Video links

• 1998 television ad for Rock-A-Hoola Waterpark (Flash video)
• MTV's Rob & Big pay a visit to Lake Dolores/Rock-A-Hoola Waterpark (Flash video)
• A pre-dismantlement feature story on the state of the park from "UNLViews" (Flash video)
• Panoramic video from the top of Lake Dolores/Rock-a-Hoola Waterpark (Flash video)
• Video tour of the ruined park (Flash video)
• Point–of–view video of a ride down Cultus Lake Waterpark's "Colossal Canyon" — the former "Big Bopper" (Flash video)