Lake Dolores Waterpark

Lake Dolores Waterpark is an abandoned waterpark in Newberry Springs in the Mojave Desert of Southern California.Planning and constructionThe 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 100yd 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 273acre 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 (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.Rides and attractionsThe park featured eight identical 150ft sixty–degree–angle steel waterslides mounted side by side on a man–made hill. Riders rode on small plastic "floaties" which skimmed 40to across the lagoon when they hit the water at the slide's end.