Updated
2025-02-26T15:36:23Z
- I stopped in the Mojave Desert and wandered around a 251-acre abandoned water park.
- The former park's history was a roller coaster of success and failure, changing hands three times.
- Today, the water's dried up. What remains are empty pools and decaying buildings.
A scattering of palm trees in a sandy desert was my first clue that I was close to Rock-A-Hoola Waterpark.
Once I spotted colorful billboards, I was positive I had arrived.
Just off the service road running parallel to California's Mojave Freeway in Newberry Springs are the remains of an old water park.
The water park's history is reminiscent of a water slide with years of ups, downs, and sharp turns. It originally opened in the 1960s as Dolores Waterpark. Later, it operated under the names Discovery Waterpark and, most famously, Rock-A-Hoola Waterpark. Then, in 2004, it closed for good.
Today, the water has dried up, swimmers have disappeared, and most of what remains are empty cement pools and buildings decaying in the desert sun.
Driving through California's Mojave Desert in the fall of 2023, I didn't spot much beyond billboards, rest stops, and sand. Then, I saw palm trees and colorful buildings.
I had arrived at my destination: an abandoned water park. I drove up and was shocked to find no fences or gates turning away visitors.
I pulled into a sandy lot, drove past signs I imagined once welcomed visitors, and made my way to a parking area.
For the next hour, I explored the 251 acres of ruins.
The place felt like a mirage. I spotted desert landscapes in every direction, with the park providing pops of color amid beige-toned scenery.
At the front of the property was what remains of the water park's entrance.
Here, I could make out the word "waterpark."
Bob Byers, a local businessman, built the property. It was originally a private resort, which he named Lake Dolores Waterpark after his wife.
Source: Business Insider
In 1962, he opened it to the public. It was home to a lazy river, zip line, man-made lakes with water slides, and bumper boats.
"We have an old-fashioned swimming hole," Byers told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in 1989. "You have to have a little country in you to enjoy this."
Source: Las Vegas Review-Journal
In the 1980s, Byers shut it down. The water park couldn't compete with other nearby attractions.
In 1998, the park went through a major renovation. Money was poured into the attraction and transformed into a 1950s-themed oasis called Rock-A-Hoola Waterpark.
While rock-n-roll music once played across the property and 1950s references filled the park, only hints of the old theme remain today.
Rock-A-Hoola didn't last long. In 1999, an employee used a water slide after hours and became a paraplegic. The settlement cost the park $4.4 million, the Review-Journal reported.
The park went bankrupt in 2000. In 2002, it tried its hand at success for a third time, reopening as Discovery Waterpark. By 2004, it had closed for good.
While swimmers no longer go to Rock-A-Hoola, skateboarders, graffiti artists, photographers, and urban explorers do.
I crossed the entrance gates, where I spotted the remains of an old water fountain.
Dotting the perimeter of the space were the skeletons of buildings. One was likely home to tube rentals, another to snacks, and perhaps a third for souvenirs.
Practically every inch of the former water park was covered in graffiti, and rusted cans were scattered on sandy floors.
I pictured the slides that would have curved down the remaining steel frames.
I pictured people swimming in the vast cement ditches that are now better suited to skateboarders.
I spotted the canal where the lazy river once flowed. According to Lost America, it was added during the 1998 renovation and was the largest in the world at the time.
Source: Lost America
Toward the back of the property was a large hill with a handful of slides that would have sent swimmers down to the bottom.
Since the park closed in 2004, rumors of a revival have existed. But plans to bring it back haven't come to fruition. In 2020, a private firm had plans to turn it into a "roadside playground," Business Insider previously reported.
In 2021, the property was listed for sale for $11 million.
Source: Business Insider
The San Bernardino County Board of Commissioners approved plans to transform the property into a new park with a 22-acre lake, water park, and RV park, the Review-Journal said.
As I explored the property in the desert heat, I saw no signs of improvement or progress.
So, instead of envisioning the future, I pictured myself at the park during Rock-A-Hoola's glory days.
I imagined zooming down the Greased Lightning water slide and chilling in the lazy river.
And I was glad I stumbled upon a place I never expected to see in the desert.
