The Abandoned & Dangerous Water Park in the Desert: Lake Dolores/Rock-A-Hoola | Expedition Extinct

located halfway between las vegas and alley in the middle of the desert next to the highway sits an abandoned water park lake dolores has been the home to multiple recreation offerings over the years from a short-lived modern thrill park that was closed due to an accident to what could be considered the united states first water park a water park that was full of danger limited rules and accidents that some even called the action park of the west now i know daredevil but back at the station they told me this is the kind of story that demands reporter involvement getting your feet wet so to speak so here goes on the water slide the stand-up style [Music] [Music] john roberts known as bob and his wife dolores byers left their home and paint contracts in business in lakewood california and moved to 320 acres of land outside of barstow in 1953 the family would turn the large section of the desert into a farm that would raise cattle with the main focus being farming alfalfa neither venture produced much profit the majority of which had to be used to maintain the farm and equipment the family would have to take second jobs to try and pay their bills on time with roles ranging from well drillers to haybailers in 1963 the us government allowed the importing of cheap beef from argentina and australia cattle prices foul and so did the farms already minimal profit after a decade of barely making ends meet the couple decided they would use the land to try something else and hopefully finally start earning some money by 1956 there were more than 65 million cars on our roads with 90 million forecast by 1975. clearly it was a time for national action shortly after purchasing the property their land was diminished by around 50 acres when interstate 15 would cut across the front of the buyer's land this new highway offered a major route connecting san diego los angeles and las vegas oh and also prim nevada since we're close to vegas lance has to be here that was stupid that was really stupid located nearly exactly halfway between alley and vegas in newbury springs california the family would look to take a new avenue to take advantage of the large number of people heading right by their doorstep they would turn the farm into a stopping point for recreation in 1966 the couple gave up farming after they had read that recreation areas would be in demand in the coming years as city dwellers will be taken to the deserts and mountains they came up with a plan for a complete recreation facility that they presented to local bankers the idea was approved but due to tight budgets they were unable to obtain the necessary loans to complete the project in one go they would start the project and piece by piece they would continue building until it became that full recreation destination between la and vegas the first stage was to create a lake located on a natural spring it would become a ski lake and named after bob's wife lake dolores would open to the public in 1967. the scheme wasn't overly popular and it never really caught on the first years it was mainly used by the family the buyers stated it was harder than they expected to create this first offering and the large amount of water required was expensive for what they were getting in return unfazed however the buyers continued with the project increasing the amount of lakes to four one for fishing one for mini boating and one for swimming to create these lakes water would be pumped from the wells once used to irrigate their alfalfa fields the water from the bottom would then be pumped into the fish lake and finally into the fingerling lake in a constant circulation this system created lake water that a county bacteria test proved was pure enough to drink straight from the lake even though it didn't look like it lake dolores the magical water world that features the most exciting high-speed water slides the family fun place that offers relaxation and incredible thrills just off the i-15 las vegas freeway near barstow call now for special rates glide down the 200 foot waterslides up to 50 miles an hour good clean safe fun a thrill a second bring the kids picnic camp overnight fly the giant swings at lake dolores the magical water world that guarantees a fun-filled time man-made lakes alone however wouldn't be the thing to draw people to the recreation center lake dolores wouldn't be just another average swimming hole the buyer's imagination would take this one step further high above the swimming lake will be two giant slides beckoning visitors driving past these weren't just average slides either they would create an 80 foot high sandy hill that was made from dirt excavated to make the lake there were no stairs here you would be climbing up in the mud and at the top were the two unique 220 foot long stand up water slides each with a 15 foot drop into the lake at the end danger would become known to come hand in hand with lake dolores rather than sit on a map or sit on the slide at all the idea would be to reach the bottom and drop into the lake while trying to remain standing try being the key word not only could you fall off to the side into the hard sand but if you were unlucky you could fall and hit your head directly onto the hard steel slide especially towards the bottom of the drum well they say when the horse throws you the first time you got to get right back on him so let's take it again tom [Music] close but still no cigar sure wish there was a lift to the top in the early years the park knew it was dangerous and risk was involved in attractions now for the main attractions but first a warning you proceed at your own risk we don't make any beans about the fact that there is some risk here there's risk in anything you do even when you drive drive down the freeway you have a risk involved so anything that you do nowadays when you go snow skiing water skiing and if you come here any place where there's some fun there is some element of risk had any serious accidents or problems for you nothing real serious now other early attractions included a swinging trapeze located in the middle of a 15-foot deep lake there was fishing and a picnic area for the first years the attraction only had portable toilets until permanent fixtures were constructed in the early 70s they only did this to accompany the next major edition a campground this large project began construction in 1972 and you could pitch your tent directly at the lake's edge if you got there early enough to get the spot just got to make sure everybody gets out of the way you know so when they come down these stand-up slides that another guy doesn't land on somebody else and just keep control that's the main thing we have people on top that you know control them from coming down some of them take off too quick so we you know keep everybody out of the way the park became well known for teenage parties drinking hookups and offering exciting but unsafe fun the water park would be a huge daily undertaking and managed by various family members with dolores watching the front gate along with daughter kim dennis bender is byers son-in-law a history and government teacher at apple valley high that's his son donnie turning 360s on the stand-up slide and daughter debbie riding the laydown families will come from all over to visit lake dolores it was unique they would spot the signs at the turn of the freeway and would see the slides in the distance at the odd oasis in the middle of nowhere by 1971 30 000 visitors were visiting in a year with 94 percent of the lake's attendance coming from la originally they were paid 50 cents for adults this increased to 1.50 quite quickly due to the demand and the need for higher returns it was instantly more successful than the buyers farming business and offered much better profit than they could have ever hoped for from farming they would continue to try and push the lake attendance by spending nearly twenty thousand dollars a month on advertising the original plans for the recreation center changed over the years and more and more was added to the attraction with the addition of more activities it morphed into lake dolores water park which some considered to be the first real water park in the united states known as the fun spot of the desert more additions came with a zipline taking riders on a high-speed trip into the lake hanging from a handheld device if you couldn't hold on for the 200 foot drop you promptly fell onto the hard sand below and if you could you would eventually fall 20 feet into the lake at the bottom now i'm sure that the third time would have been the charm but i've only got a few trips up this hill left in me so i think i'm going to try the tram all right get out for the attire [Music] if i'd really know what kind of timing was involved i wouldn't have been so eager to try my luck and lucky is what i was there were also eight 180 foot long lay down slides on mats that would reach speeds of 40 miles per hour on the 60 degree angle steel draw on to the beginner slope which i obviously should have tried first they say there's no way to mess up on this one as long as you go lying down otherwise it's a little tricky keeping your seat doesn't take long to get the hang of it and those who have hang together if you were good you could skim across the lake at the bottom if you were really good you could land in the dirt on the other side often crashing into other guests tents and cars visitors could also find diving boards bumper boats and brath rides over the years along with being a home for multiple sports from the area and boat races it was a huge teenage hangout and they came for one thing well i think just like any high school you know there's a great pure image and the social factor and the girls come here to meet the boys and the boys come here to meet the girls and believe me they meet and they really do and this place is a mecca in the middle of the desert for young people young boys and young girls and me yeah you get tired of the beaches you want you want to change every now and then you know so it's worth it to drive 150 miles oh yeah when you're here nothing's like this around in where we live the number of lakes at the site increased to seven lake dolores would remain successful throughout the 1970s well if you don't account for the odd drowning of course the park certainly didn't count those and finding a body at the bottom of the lake was not the rare occurrence it should have been the first time the park had any attendance issues were following the gas crisis in 1979 after a hard hit to attendance the popular spot quickly bounced back and attendance was nearly back to the high levels of the earlier years the early 80s continued to be a success but they wouldn't reach the peaks of earlier years attendance in the fall of 1985 bob would close the lake very little had changed over the last 10 years and the couple wanted to retire and sell the lake concerns were raised about the increasing standards for safety at water parks and lake dolores clearly would not be able to comply for long competition was also increasing with wet and wild vegas open on the strip you didn't have to drive into the middle of nowhere to get your water parks fixed it seemed like it would be the perfect time for the buyers to hang up their booths the 268 acre site will be acquired by newbury springs developer aj gus ragosa on the lake will be a proposed 2000 space rv resort called water world a place that would be planned as one of the us's largest privately operated rv resorts this new destination would add wild west polynesian and asian themed villages along with a golf course between the now multiple existing lakes of lake dolores the new project was planned to cost 20 million dollars and take 5 to 10 years to complete investors for the project never materialized and nothing came from it the planned project fell through and bob buyers cancelled the deal where they didn't come up with a 250 000 down payment for the site he even lowered the down payment to 175 000 they still didn't comply when asked about the project gus said that they had been working hard on water world for nearly two years and they had spent a lot of money but couldn't come up with investors with ready cash the total sale of lake dolores was expected to have been 1.5 million dollars the water park reopened as it originally was continuing to be managed for the buyer family however bob stated it was still up for sale he wanted to retire gus ray grosser said he wasn't giving up and it was just a misunderstanding he had just been trying to find the cash to get the project rolling still in 1989 gus again announced he will be buying the lake and would create water world this time as before but now with an added jungle boat ride the buyers closed lake dolores recreation center in 1989 and would sell the lake in august 1990 to be able to finally retire late dolores story does not end here though it was all about to go downhill gus never did get the funds to create water world for nearly a decade the resort sat there and a long way from the recreation water capital of the desert it had been in 1996 the lake was sold again to an investment group led by californian businessman terry christensen [Music] he was a general contractor who had already built four water parks for other people he wanted to build one for himself and he formed the lake dolores group instead of reopening and upgrading what had been there before he would create something brand new something that was a little less dangerous the complete opposite of what has stood before a brand new shiny and crystal clear chlorine watered attraction the dangerous lake dolores water park evolved would be no more it would now be called the rocker hula water park located on the former lakes the majority of which were removed the brand new 270 acre water park would feature a 1950s and 1960s rock and roll theme along with a brand new larger lake all new slides were brought in and the area redeveloped completely opening on july 4th 1998 rocker hula featured 18 water slides with names such as grace leitlin the triple twist and shell the doo-wop super drop and the big bopper which the park advertised as the world's largest family raft ride these new fiberglass slides that replace the steel versions were painted red white and blue in reference to the flag throughout the park rock music from the theme era was played and theme in was scattered throughout to set the tone after the park opened an rv park and campground were also planned the park's vice president of marketing rick miller when asked about the new park said that the place began as a roadside attraction but now it was going to become a destination in its own right they had old gas stations route 66 decor and on an average day over 1 000 people were visiting the brand new water park they had big plans for the future future plans for the resort include a hotel a 36 hole golf course an amphitheater an eclectic food court a wave pool and development of fun island complete with miniature golf go-karts and a concert stake yep none of this would ever happen issues began right away after opening one of the investors was acting up and is said to have walked away from the deal with millions of dollars directly after late dolores llc had to file for chapter 11 bankruptcy within its first year of opening they were closed just three years later [Music] the park's investors have spent so much money creating a brand new resort that it would never get anywhere close to making a profit or have the time to do so while a much safer park than what existed before ironically an accident would also play a large part in rocker hulla's history on may 29th 1999 the park closed for the day after a jet ski competition a 23 year old pool tech was about to start its shift and 15 minutes before he clocked in for the evening he instructed another employee to turn on the slide doo [ __ ] super drop as it had been turned off 60 minutes earlier when the park closed he had decided he wanted to ride the slide and climb the stairs to the top after believing it had had enough time to fill the run-out lane at the bottom he went down the slide the run-out lane hadn't filled enough and he did not slow down hitting the concrete dam at the end of the runoff leaving it paralyzed the park's general manager saw the employee laying on the floor at the bottom of the slide but thought it was a joke as employees were not allowed to ride slides after hours and he did not have permission to do so the poor tech applied for workers compensation benefits due to the incident and signed that the injuries occurred while testing the water slide the park managers including terry christensen disputed the claim and the application was denied a huge court case began on whether the injury occurred during the course and scope of employment with him not yet being clocked in the park policy was not clear rocker hula would be sued and a jury in the court eventually awarded the employee 4.4 million dollars in 2004. the original claim that he was not acting within the scope of employment was overturned while many blamed this lawsuit for the park's short demise the part was already in a difficult position before this even happened rocker hula's fate had been sealed directly after opening they were in three million dollars of debt before this incident even occurred after the large expense of the construction and marketing of the park the partner issues and the difficult financial situation the legal battle would be the final nail in the park's coffin the water park's owners went into bankruptcy again and after just three seasons the brand new water park would be completely abandoned terry christensen had tried to turn the destination into a resort worth visiting creating something brand new exciting and unique but sadly through no fault of his own rock-a-hula would cease to be refreshing oasis that is the all-new lake dolores resort and rockahola waterpark visitors are treated to an atmosphere filled with classic americana and family fun boasting 18 brand new aqua attractions including the big bopper the world's largest family raft ride the all-new rockahola waterpark offers something for everyone young and old alike can bask in the sun get their kicks on one of the many exciting water slides relax in the cool flow of the blue bayou river or take time to enjoy one of the many shaded areas in the park when it's time to eat the park offers the lazy river cafe or a lush family picnic area the majority of the park's assets were liquidated and in 2001 the land reverted back to dolores buyers when a buyer couldn't be found a year later she would find a buyer for the park dolores would pass away shortly after with a new group of investors buying the lake just like it had done before the water park would come back to life after a four hundred thousand dollar renovation the water park reopened in may 2002 on weekends only under the unofficial name discovery water park terry christensen was still on board as a consultant it would open intermittently until the summer of 2004 when it would once again be closed this time it would never come back from the dead sitting abandoned next to the highway the water park became a place of myth a mystery from 2008 the park and land passed through multiple owners with many many attempts to reopen it some trying to turn it into housing or even a new rv park the site was also used in multiple tv shows and production since its closing the slides were eventually sold and shipped to canada's culture's lake in british columbia the big bopper was renamed to colossal canyon much of what else remained was sold off bit by bit over the years anything left was stolen today all of the slides and attractions are gone some of the build-ins still stand and what is left sits abandoned in ruin and covered in graffiti little remains of rocker hula and even less of the original recreation center over the years the majority of it has been destroyed or set on fire by those visiting and it now just sits in the middle of nowhere as a remnant of the past [Music] in the 1960s and 70s very little existed offering that water park experience most people know river country that opened in 1976 or wet and wild orlando that opened in 1977 and consider them to be the first official water park in the united states but by then lake dolores had been offering water park fun for over a decade what lake dolores offered was rarely found elsewhere and would be worth going out of the way four that was until water parks eventually became much more prominent around the country so far the story of this now legendary place is one of three parts an abandoned rotting place next to a highway in the middle of the desert a shiny new themed water park destination and perhaps the most special a family ran dangerous water place that many many enjoyed but would never exist still today this is a story however that never seems to truly end in 2020 the san bernardino county board of supervisors approved a plan that would allow the redevelopment of the long abandoned park now owned by g and gf enterprises since 2013 it is believed that this could once again be known as an oasis in the desert this new plan includes refreshing the 41 acre former water park restoring the 22 acre lake and finally adding hotels and restaurants that were once planned many years ago the project was due to begin construction in 2020 and opened the first phase in 2021 as of 2021 no work has started and the new owner states this is down to the global pandemic construction on the water park however is stated to begin in 2022 ready for a summer 2023 opening when asked owner omg said around 90 of the old infrastructure is salvageable by 2025 he hoped lake dolores would once again become a resort destination will this park rise from the dead one more time only time will tell but it seems the story of lake dolores has a chance to continue a story that has been the home of a water park in some form for over 55 years a story that started with one family i have people that come all the way from frisco down here and they come from san diego down the imperial valley the mountains every place and it's not just a drop-in thing people when they come to lake dolores there it's destination bar uh lake dolores when they come here myers runs his 300 acre spread along with 19 members of his family now 62 he started building the lakes and slides in 1967 after going under as an alfalfa and cattle rancher in the original park everything was built by hand by the buyers it was a mud hole that barely had any rules in the middle of the desert a place of good times and dangerous fun reportedly with at least one major accident a day it was a place full of murky lakes bruising waterslides and a view of the desert in every direction bob byers passed away in 1996. he left the legacy of creating not only a place thousands made amazing memories at but what could be considered america's first water park it's out in the middle of nowhere and like an oasis in the sahara lake dolores draws parts travelers from miles around lake dolores in its original form was the definition of a family-run place that people loved from the buyer's children cousins and grandchildren nearly all of them worked at the park at one point many stories talk about how friendly and welcoming they were to those visiting their lakes one former visitor called the place a death trap but man it was a blast if you didn't go home with a bruise or a cup from your day at lake dolores you didn't have any fun it was a place that the beer flowed and accidents were just a regular thing that can never exist still today a place of its time one that eventually was abandoned not once not twice but three times [Music] thank you so much for watching this episode of expedition extinct if you enjoyed it make sure you subscribe to join the expedition follow us on twitter and instagram for updates on upcoming episodes and a special thank you to our patreons for

Channel: Expedition Theme Park

Views: 730,044

Keywords: expedition theme park, expedition extinct, theme park, abandoned, lake dolores, water park, action park, unsafe slides, california, extinct, defunct, vegas, las vegas, rock-a-hoola, troubed, worst parks, dangerous parks, bankrupt, urbex, history, 2021, lake dolores waterpark, rock a hoola, interstate 15, ROUTE 66, abandoned waterpark, abandoned water park, abandoned water park california, crash, accident

Id: _j-2NfY45XM

Length: 28min 37sec (1717 seconds)

Published: Mon Apr 05 2021

Reddit Comments

[u/TerminalProtocol]

I remember exploring around this place back before they took the slides out (and the arcade machines). Pretty sad to see how vandalized it's gotten over the years.

Pretty sure I still have one of the old Rock-a-Hoola brochures in my garage from one of our trips, haha.

[u/tezoatlipoca]

There's lots going on here (wrong)... but it just seems fundamentally flawed to build a water park in the middle of the desert. Like opening a YogunFruz at McMurdo station.

[u/codamission]

I assumed you were talking about Pharaoh's Lost Kingdom. Evidently there's a shitload of abandoned waterparks in a region with easy beach access. Who would guess?

[u/Mister_Dane]

The same two commercials on repeat for 30 minutes will forever be scarred in my memory.

[u/opposing_critter]

That's some tasty water