Lake Dolores Waterpark (which also operated under the names Lake Dolores, Rockâ€"Aâ€"Hoola Waterpark, and Discovery Waterpark) is an abandoned 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 (91Â 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 (110Â ha) man-made lake fed by underground springs.
In May 1962 a basic campground adjacent to the small lake was opened to the public. Enthusiasts of Motocross (offâ€"road motorcycle racing) and people traveling on Interstate 15 between Los Angeles and Las Vegas gave the campground some business.
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) sixtyâ€"degreeâ€"angle steel waterslides mounted side by side on a manâ€"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 Vâ€"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 "Zipâ€"Cord" ride, riders hung from a handâ€"held device attached to a guide wire for approximately 200 feet (61 m) at a 30â€"degree downward angle. At the end of this wire the handâ€"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 Aâ€"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.
Rockâ€"Aâ€"Hoola Waterpark
Byers sold the defunct park in August 1990 to Lake Dolores Group LLC, a threeâ€"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. Advertising and promotion was contracted to Beachport Entertainment Corporation, and the park reopened under a new name, "Rockâ€"Aâ€"Hoola", on July 4, 1998. The new park featured the constant playing of 1950s and 1960s rock and roll music throughout the park along with some compatible graphics. In its "Rockâ€"Aâ€"Hoola" incarnation, the park included a river ride on inflated tubes.
On June 26, 1999, Insomniac Events held the annual Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC), an all-night rave (electronic music festival), at Lake Dolores Waterpark.
An onâ€"premises 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 an employee crippled in a 1999 accident was awarded $4.4 million in damages (affirmed by the California Fourth District Court of Appeal in 2004). The park filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in February 2000.
The courtâ€"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 (husband Bob Byers 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. She died a month later.
Here is a commercial from 1998 for Rockâ€"Aâ€"Hoola Waterpark.
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, British Columbia.
The water slides and attractions are now gone. Repeatedly vandalized, much of the park is now in ruins.
Urban explorers frequently visit the waterpark, but much of the park has been torn apart by people who salvaged metal and wires from the buildings. Although a "no trespassing" sign has been clearly displayed at the entrance of the park, visitors often ignore the sign and enter the park.
Later activity
In March 2008 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.
In 2011, a group called Oasis Themepark announced a project to renovate and reopen the park, but progress has been desultory.
In June 2012, another skate film "Kilian Martin: Altered Route" directed by Brett Novak and sponsored in part by Mercedes-Benz showed the park in its current state while reflecting on its past appearance.
In 2013, TrustoCorp, a group of artists from New York City, transformed the park into a "TrustoLand" as an artistic statement, by repainting many signs and buildings with unusual images and messages.
On May 27, 2013, Boards of Canada publicly debuted their album Tomorrow's Harvest by playing it first at Lake Dolores Waterpark. They had previously hinted that it would be played there by tweeting satellite images and uploading a video to YouTube featuring a distorted advertisement for the park titled Look Sad Reel, an anagram of Lake Dolores.
In April 2014, Adam The Woo visits the park. He recorded a video
On September 30, 2014 The park was used by Top Gear America as an obstacle course in Season 5 Episode 7 "What Can It Take".
On November 7-9th, 2014 The park was used as the site of an Operation Lion Claws airsoft event,'War of Angels'.
In Spring of 2015 the park was used in a commercial for Mini.
The waterpark was used in the lyric video for "Reapers" by the British rock band Muse.
In March 2016, the water park was the setting for the 'West Texas' music video by New York band PWR BTTM.
On October 7, 2016, the park appeared on the TV show Abandoned, which airs on Viceland Network.
References
External links
Text links
- Rock-A-Hoola Waterpark at Modern Day Ruins
- Rock-A-Hoola Waterpark at Lost America
- a history of Rock-A-Hoola Waterpark at Raise The Stakes Editions
Photo links
- 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
- A pre-dismantlement feature story on the state of the park from "UNLViews"
- Panoramic video from the top of Lake Dolores/Rock-a-Hoola Waterpark
- Video tour of the ruined park
- "Kilian Martin: Altered Route" - Directed by Brett Novak; A skateboarding film recorded in the abandoned park in 2012