Lake Dolores
Waterpark
Mojave Desert | California
A Forgotten Oasis In The Mojave
May 2019
Lake Dolores Waterpark opened in the early '60s as campsite and motocross run adjacent to a man-made lake fed by natural springs. An equal distance between Los Angeles and Las Vegas along I--15, it became a popular midpoint for families making the four-hour drive through the Mojave Desert.
In the coming decades it evolved into a proper water park, with eight major slides, a lazy river and several attractions unique to the park. It saw peak attendance in the late '70s, and has since passed hands several times, and proposals to renovate it were developed all the way up to 2011.
By 2013 it was acknowledged that the park was beyond repair and was turned over to street artist collective TrustoCorp to re-purpose as an art installation. Other artists and vandals have contributed since, and arson claimed many of the main structures in 2018, leaving the park a skeleton - albeit a colorful and bizarre one - in its former footprint.
Gallery
