Lake Dolores Abandoned Water Park in a Mojave Desert

Article and Photography by Natasha Petrosova

With three names and four owners over the last 50 years, this water park in the middle of nowhere has been plagued by bankruptcies, allegations of embezzlement and a tragedy that left a former employee paralyzed.

Initially, the park started as a fun getaway on Lake Dolores in the Mojave Desert for a local businessman, Bob Byers and his  family.  The park was finished in the 1960s and consisted of series of identical steel slides that riders could ride down, landing in a man-made lake.  Soon after , the campground was built near by and the park was open to a public.  For the next few decades, the park continued to grow, adding more attractions for its growing number of visitors. However attendance began to dwindle in the late 1980s and by 1990, the park had officially closed.

Baking in a hot desert for a few years , the park was renovated in 1998 after millions of dollars were spent to turn the park into a 1950s themed waterpark for hep cats, Rock -A-Hoola.  A collection of modern waterslides and attractions such as a lazy river were installed and all of the structures were kitted out to look like a retro-future wonderland. 

However , those good times at the  "Fun Spot of the Desert" would not las a single year .   23-year-old employee Jimmy Mason was paralyzed after riding a slide during off-hours without letting enough water flow to the pool below. The settlement that followed this tragic accident cost the attraction millions of dollars.  Rock-A-Hoola was never able to fully  recover from this tragedy and closed once again in 2000.  It was reopened again in 2002 under new ownership with a new name - "Discovery Park"  just to be shut down again two years later.  In 2004 the water park was closed for good.   

The park was sitting empty in a desert ever since.  Since closing, the faux-50s architecture and waterslides have faded and broken under the unrelenting Mojave sun. Vandals and scavengers have damaged most of the buildings and signs, but they still stand, rusting away like some time lost ruin. Visitors and passersby could be forgiven for asking who thought it would be a good idea to put a water park in the desert in the first place.    

 In 2013, Trustocorp, "a New York-based guerrilla art group dedicated to highlighting the hypocrisy and hilarity of human behavior," made their mark on Lake Dolores. Lots of other "artists" have spray painted on the buildings, as well.

Since then , after this art even  went up on YouTube, kids started coming out and just spray-painting stuff and it makes the place look bad.

The latest news according to Sacramento Bee from last spring is that "the park’s new owner, Om Garg, and a group called Oasis Theme Park were in negotiations to rebuild and reopen".  Currently, new owners are waiting for investors to step in and for their building permits to be approved by San Bernardino County.  New owners also send a message to all those who wants to explore the site " To the people going out to the park. Security will now take pictures you may not see them they will see you. They can see you hiding behind or in the buildings or jumping in your car and taking off. Some pictures will be posted online. Just thought we would let you know.” Basically what new owners are trying to tell you is that they installed video cameras on the premises.  So if you would like to go and explore the site , go ahead and do so , no one will stop you.  However , don't vandalize , don't litter and no more graffiti, they are watching you.  


Refrences : 

 http://www.sacbee.com/entertainment/living/travel/sam-mcmanis/article4428191.html#storylink=cpy