Lake Dolores Waterpark
| Lake Dolores Waterpark | |
|---|---|
The Rock-a-Hoola sign that greeted visitors into the park, April 2011.
|
|
| Location | Newberry Springs, Southern California, United States |
| Coordinates | 34°56′54″N 116°41′15″W / 34.948234°N 116.687481°WCoordinates: 34°56′54″N 116°41′15″W / 34.948234°N 116.687481°W |
| Opened | May 1962 |
| Closed | Summer 2004 |
| Previous names |
Lake Dolores Rock–A–Hoola Waterpark Discovery Waterpark |
Lake Dolores Waterpark (which also operated under the names Lake Dolores, Rock–A–Hoola Waterpark, and Discovery Waterpark) is a abandoned waterpark in Newberry Springs in the Mojave Desert of Southern California.
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 1962 a basic campground adjacent to the small lake was opened to the public. Enthusiasts of (off–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.
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.
...
Wikipedia