Exploring America's 1st Water Park!

[@barbbette6159]

Thanks Sin City for your excellent mini-docu. I am a Yermo resident, born here over 60 years ago & my mother was born here over 80 years ago. I fondly remember going to Lake Delores as a child, when it was only a small lake. Back then I think there was only a snack bar & small gift shop and the lake had a large wooden high-dive platform in the middle. I think there was also 1 or 2 short water slides. It was a really fun place because mostly locals went there & it was never overcrowded. Once they began expanding, it was no longer a fun or safe place to go. Too many rowdy non-local teenage boys who thought it was fun to push strangers in the water. My mother was an excellent swimmer & was about to dive from the platform, when 2 punks shoved her sideways, throwing her off balance. She landed hard in the water on her side, knocking the wind out of her. A man on the platform, dove into the water & pulled her to shore. She suffered severe bruising to the entire side of her body. The boys & their parents were ejected from the park. We went back only one time after that but it was just too crowded. Had they kept it a small resort for locals, RVs & tent camping, I believe it would still be alive today. Progress is not always a good thing. It is also a shame that taggers & other vandals have no respect for things that DON'T belong to them. Their parents should be ashamed for how they raised their kids - then again, it is hard to teach morals, when you don't have any yourself. By the way, I have a vintage Lake Delores t-shirt & have been offered a lot of money for it but it holds too many good memories for me.

[@jamesdowell9676]

Senior moment.." don't show my heels they're all dried up and crusty" LMFAO 😂🤣

[@paulholt8153]

We used to go in the mid 70's before Wet n Wild was built in Vegas. We got hurt going down them slides but we never thought about suing anyone. It was just part of going there. That place was better than Disneyland to us

[@IEchuckie]

Now days you can sue for being stupid and win

[@funnyvideos-ri1vy]

amazing

[@SunSin91]

I think doing urban exploration like this is awesome for you guys. Coming up with the history attached, old pictures and mabye interviews.. That will definetely grow your channel.

[@draaaven157]

Yeah it's definitely the kind of content I subbed for to their channel. I appreciate their coverage of lake mead, but guys feel free to explore more!

[@camrobertss6721]

You guys should do more videos like this, everyone loves history.

[@jesseshort8]

That clip of the guy doing 360's standing up while going down the slide kinda blew my mind.🤯

[@Clawson_customs]

When I was a teenager my family stopped there on our way home from California my mom and dad said we had one hour to play it was the fastest hour of my life

[@dhowting]

The historical/abandoned videos are a nice addition to the channel!!! Really enjoying them, thank you!

[@goldenrod3215]

Great video. Yes I remember lake Delores. We would get a few girls and bring em out here and have fun. You know what I mean. Haha. The good Ole days.

[@Mustachio89]

They did an episode on Expedition Theme Parks and it covers the family’s story behind a farm turned water park. It was pretty interesting to see how it looked back when it opened. The owners son was the guy spinning down the slide you showed a video clip of. Thanks for showing what it looks like today. Hopefully it reopens in our lifetime.

[@4Thug2Life0]

Yo the son had sick moves those 360’s with a flip at the end was epic.

[@MojaveDan]

Family friends (Byers and Benders) used to own it. It was literally an oasis in the middle the desert. Started in the early 60's and the family operated it till the late 80's. What became it's demise was partly due to the lawsuits but mostly because of competition. Raging Waters in San Dimas was more convenient to SoCal and subsequently took a lot of business from Lake Delores. Bob sold the property to a development company in the early 90's. Since then, several companies attempted and failed to revive the park since then. There's a decent chance Lake Delores turns into a senior resort community in the near future. Where the water comes from is Newberry Springs (where Lake Delores is at) sits on top of a huge aquifer. Lots of water from the last ice age with very little development. There's many man made lakes near Lake Delores that draw from the same aquifer. Most are designed for water skiing.

[@zeusv9804]

You're one of the best people to be commenting on this. Glad you found the video and shared your knowledge. Had no idea there was that much water down there. God and nature are awesome.

[@kirkdavenport7185]

I took my two Daughters there when they had a grand-re-opening in the 90's, they renovated the old park (60's from the vids you have) and made it a cool 50's-60's rock and roll themed park with modern, safer and more common waterpark slides and rides, not the dangerous ones your video covers and you speak of. It was cheap, fun and not that far for us to get to. We spent all day there.

[@robwirthwireless9510]

Hey hope all is well ...show us the rain and flooding be safe!!!!

[@josephdavidson323]

I was there in the summer of 77. It was amazing at the time. Then there was nothing concrete all the water features were lakes. The little documentary you got clips from was the time I was there. I came from western PA to be a lifeguard at the Marine base in Barstow. 6$ an hour was double the minimum wage 2 best summers of my life!! great vid guys TY

[@billiep4338]

Thanks for sharing ❤

[@shamrockmetals8716]

Used to go there as a kid in the early 80s. Coolest waterpark I ever been to and the sketchiest. It had the worlds only stand up waterslide with a 6 foot drop at the end and you could camp there. Lakes went stagnant and they closed down

[@donnrogers9276]

Went there as a kid once, I remember it was a blast. The water slide was so fast, they also had little one person racing boats that were wicked fast. Also had a huge campground where we camped. Thats about all remember about it. Good times.

[@builtbybo22]

Super Cool!! If those remaining buildings could talk........Many Many stories! #BuiltByBo

[@Eyembig2]

Thanks for another discovery adventure! Keep it coming brothers.

[@pinstripingbybear.]

@6:34 there allot still in operation, but there is a lot that have closed down, for example Pharaoh's Lost Kingdom in Redlands California was the big water park local plus allot more, now it's just a concrete pad in the back where the water park was, the lazy River and part of the tower for the water park are still standing. It was closed down before this but it was right next door to the Amazon building that burned down a year or two ago

[@markmiller8903]

The trapeze were the bomb.

[@Robertmacmedia]

I’ve driven by the water part when it was up and running and many times watching it slowly get aged with art

[@Lucysdad66]

1984 I camped there for a few days with a few buddy's i had a great time i will never forget.

[@pan8a]

The commercials for lake Dolores were awesome. They were in black and white and always came on during after school cartoons during the week

[@javieraguilar894]

Dang, you guys are on a good one!! We all drive by these spots in the desert wondering what they are and never stopping to find out. Thank you for doing your research and providing historical information to us!

[@MyBackyardScience]

Those old photos have an Action Park (AKA Traction Park, AKA Class Action Park) feeling! It's so bizarre to see that it's just a desert now!🙂

[@bjamin0075]

So sweet I haven’t been up there in years. Thanks for all you do love your channel.

[@SinCityOutdoors]

Thanks for watching!

[@DWSOutdoors]

The leg work you're doing to add in the history is perfect and you guys need to keep doing it!

[@FredKroldart]

I remember traveling from Rancho Cucamonga into Las Vegas and my parents would find stuff like this for us to stop at the little memories that we hold onto. Thank you for recalling this one for me. I just forgot about this place.

[@magikman357]

I LOVE these types of videos you guys do! About fifteen years ago, I lived in San Diego. I would drive to Las Vegas about every other month for ten years. I never even knew that water park was there. Unbelievable! You guys are awesome. I live in Pennsylvania now, ugh, so I really enjoy your videos. I look forward to them!

[@SirCarlosMusicBMI]

You guys always find gems wherever you go. Thank you for sharing this place that I never even heard of before. Keep safe and God Bless, Carlos ✝️🙏❤️😊🇺🇸

[@dezrtrat702]

I went there a few times in the late 90s. My school from Victorville ca would have yearly fields trips to there. I had atleast one near death experience every time I went, none were ever my fault 😊

[@SCAerialsSteveCarpenter]

Hey Guys, thank you for bringing back a LOT OF FUN MEMORIES. Yes, we camped, and partied during the time it was open in the 70's. We drove out from Orange County for a weekend of fun times and camping. The giant slides and cable tram were the best! Yes, I still remember the fun time, even after all the partying. Yeah, Isaw several people get hurt from doing stupid things and drunk. Thank You!

[@bitcoinascent6199]

I went there twice in the early 70's with a church youth group from Southern California. Everyone had such a great time and totally loved it the first year, they did another Lake Dolores trip the following year.

[@rogerdudra178]

Greetings from the BIG SKY. Always gotta stop, and smell the flowers.

[@debragentry2046]

We are so happy you have extended your channel to include historic places. They pop up on my tablet now and we stream to the TV. Enjoy every single one. Thank you for your family show. Always watching in Orlando FL.

[@rbmatch1]

Love that place. i drove there from the Colorado River about 5 years ago in a 1966 Jeep. I walked the lazy river and climbed the hills and explored all of the buildings. it was fun exploring and imaging what once was.

[@biggooddad]

My family went out there traveling from Ridgecrest to Vegas once in like 1973 more or less. I was like 10 or 11, we spotted the long high speed slides from the then two lane highway and had to check it out. Back then it was basically a huge muddy puddle in the desert with the man made mountain and long, long slides where you lay on your stomach on an air mat and hauled ass sliding down into the "lake." You would then skim across the top of the water/mud at 100mph!, (at least it seemed that fast as a kid) skipping almost clear across to the other side. Very edgy, devil may care operators, Dare devilish and rowdy crowd. Absolutely loved it! Once again.......Thanks for the memories man! 👀👍

[@donna4475]

That's how I remember it 😂.

[@SinCityOutdoors]

Sr graduated from Burroughs in Ridgecrest

[@biggooddad]

Mesquite here, i was a bad boy at Burroughs 😉@@SinCityOutdoors

[@paulie119]

We used to go there in the 80’s when I was a kid. I have good memories from there.

[@21psd]

Wow, I've wondered what became of this place. I remember going out there as a kid in the 70's and it was a blast. You described it well when you said there were a lot of kids getting hurt because the safety protocols of today didn't exist back then. There is a clip in your video showing a tram that ran down a long cable over the water. You basically had to hang on and use your own judgement as to when to let go. The first time I did this, I wasn't smart enough to let go before slamming into the tire that was attached to the cable at the end, and ended up with a bloody nose and almost ripped my arms out of socket! 😂 Some kids let go too soon before they were over the water and bit the dust, literally. And I remember the water was always freezing cold because it was fed from a well! Good times though!!

[@4Thug2Life0]

A tram is like a monorail where as what u described is called a zip line. Where u hold onto a handle while zipping down the line. Nowadays u have to be strapped in a harness and u basically just ride it to the end of the line.

[@simplycrochet1430]

I too have similar stories wondering how I survived my childhood. My eldest son can’t believe he survived the type of car seat I put him in during the 70s… mostly metal bars.

[@marcdenlinger5282]

Cool story! Amazing to hear how things used to be.

[@Funexpected]

I thought the same thing when seeing the zipline. Crazy how you had to hang on and time it when to let go. I can't imagine all the people who misjudged their own strength and release from the hand grips.

[@21psd]

@@Funexpected I was one of them! lol But it was an important lesson in physics for me because I only made that mistake once! lol Whoever's turn it was had to first grab the rope and walk the zipline up the dirt hill by themselves, then after you caught your breath you went for it! Back then they hadn't built all of the newer slides yet. It was only the 2 ziplines, 2 standup slides, 3 or 4 lay down slides that you would skip across the pond on a mat, and a trapeze setup over the water. The place was a blast, unfortunately I only went there twice as a kid. It was a long drive from Vegas.

[@melnorthway1166]

We used to call it Lake Delirious because it was so hot out there and just one big old party it was early eighties what a lot of fun

[@hitmanhank8444]

I have been there back in the 70's. My best friend's family was going and I was invited to go. We spent the entire day there. We must have ridden every slide at least 10 times. I can confirm that it was a dangerous place as far as the rides go. The best part was the long drive home. It gave us time to compare our battle wounds that we had each acquired throughout the day. Good times.

[@kates2718]

I remember driving past this place on family vacations as a kid and wanting to stop to check it out. It looked fun from the freeway on a long drive.

[@Kyleperry23]

Lived in vegas in 2009-2010. I used to see the abandoned slides still up there everytime I drove by. I think the slides were finally removed in 2014 but don't quote me on that. Keep exploring guys!

[@danielrioux6410]

You guys are awesome. Keep showcasing unique stuff and we keep watching. Shout out from Toronto Canada!

[@thriftytreasuresbyjewell1300]

Went there in the late 70’s. Had a blast. Drove from Burbank for the day.

[@jasonjohn1978]

I remember driving by that place as a kid in the 80’s when it was still operational. They used to hold Jet Ski races there and all kinds of other events. I never went, just always passed by when I was on my way to Lake Mead😉

[@serenacarpenter4435]

I remember going here when I was young. It was so much fun. Thank you for covering this to show what it is now.

[@Dang_Cool]

I just want to say how much I enjoy watching your channel. I’m an avid outdoors person. I’m actually kinda an older lady. I used to spend every weekend in the mountains. Either camping, fishing, hunting, or just enjoying nature. I’m from Idaho. I don’t know what it is exactly about watching your channel but it is relaxing and calming to me. Just want to say thank you! Keep it going. Good luck ❤

[@joeBeranek-lh8qz]

Thanks for the trip. We have a ranch just up the dirt road from there and have seen it go from great to what it is today . There have been a lot of owners of that place over they years and they have tried to bring it back but have failed. My two brothers did some work there when they started to work on rebuilding it. The last I heard was some company was going to rebuild it. You take care now and have fun.

[@lisagrover1154]

Went there as a kid, the whole family had camping vans. I was a small kid in the kiddy pond when a dust storm came across the 15, people were grabbing kids & throwing them in anything that could be closed, it was wild! I live in vegas now & drive by on my way to visit family in Ca. I have fond memories about being there!

[@northwestgaming4049]

This place is filled with childhood memories. Growing up in victorville this was a short drive us. My mom died in back in 93 so I moved to montana with my dad. Drive by last October to visit my mom for the first time in along time was sadden to see it closed.

[@guillermodelnoche]

Sam Pilgrim just did a KZbin video shredding that place on his mountain bike. Great job researching the old footage and pictures!

[@BisquickTheBaboon]

I love that you guys show us so many things that even a lot of us Vegas locals don't know about

[@brandonjacobson8749]

It’s going to be a good day when sincity outdoors posts

[@renetrevino9829]

You guys should come and visit the salton sea. There’s a lot of history to it and not to mention the un certain future it has

[@soupcankiller2917]

Every once in a while can you say “OH Boy!” And in between clips can you say “time has past.” Used to dream about going there, we never could afford to go. Great channel guys

[@loslocos1313]

remember the ads of this place growing up as a kid in LA watching cartoons in the afternoon. It was on my childhood 'bucket' list. LOL

[@lindabrown2211]

Thanks for sharing. So sad to see something that was so beautiful / happy place, into nothing but forgotten memories. Wishing you all safe travels.

[@mrcharliewebb]

I recall that place well, always looked like so much fun

[@michaelfatino9837]

Yep all you said is right. We lived in Victorville and used to go up there once each summer back in 1975 to 1985. A very fun park

[@cbreced1]

Spent a few weekends out there camping with friends in the early 80s. I only remember it as a few ponds, the big metal slide, The zip line and few other things. I don't remember much more than that. We would need to drive down the road a ways to Yermo to get any supplies. Fun Times for sure

[@love4h2oLB]

I grew up in the IE and we went here until it closed. Super fun and it was sad to see it close.

[@leroyll1144]

for the first couple years that place was the hot spot for teens & partying .!!!!

[@kickapoocraftycat]

I used to go by this place every week for the first 4 months of 2005. I never noticed it. I realize it was closed then but I still should have been able to see a great deal of it. How awesome that you were able to obtain video and photos of it when it was in its hay day.

[@golfaddict5276]

I had forgotten all about this place. We drove past it numerus times, but mom and dad would not stop. What great (sad) memories. Thanks for another interesting video.

[@jakebrakebill]

Glad I got to hang out there at its peak. Also, a cool water ski park between Colton and Rialto where you could get towed around by a cable, long gone too. Lawsuits have sterilized all the fun stuff. Glad my childhood was late 50's 60's and early 70's...........

[@drueatcer]

I went there in the 70s as a kid, they had just four or five straight stainless steel slide straight into the water. We had a blast there, they even let us put our dog down the slide.

[@bak2812]

Woo hoo, I did Lake Dolores when it was open. Stand up waterslide was awesome! We stayed in tent for a few days.

[@capicolaspicy]

Moved to Southern California in 1978 and was there until 2011 and I don't remember ever hearing about Lake Dolores! Wish I was around when it was still open, and thank you guys so much for sharing it with us !!!

[@jolenecolman2602]

Flashback. I remember going in the 80's but i don't every recall clean water, it was a huge mud pit. Lol. Pre-COVID next to it they had water and folks works buzz around on the jet skis.

[@stevenmartinez438]

We drive to Parker Az a few times a year, passing this place. I’m 55 the advertisements on tv as a kid it looked like it would be fun. Sketchy, borderline dangerous fun.

[@3sTh3rRGar]

Your video answered my questions about this abandoned water park. It reminds me of Walley World! I always wondered what it looked like up close.

[@reneerollins4433]

Wow! Another great exploration! Thanks for taking us along!

[@dianeking4418]

A blast from the past, lived in Hesperia in the 80’s

[@vetred]

Love watching you guys, Thanks for the content!

[@Armchair-Investor]

Driven by this place countless times before and after it closed down. I just drove by it in late August 2023 and it seems like you guys were there around the same time. I’ve always wondered what that place was like but, like you guys mentioned, we were just wanting to get to Vegas or back home in SoCal. Thanks for this video showing us what this place is like now. 👍

[@scottmarmon165]

I dreamed of going there as a kid. Used to watch the commercial for it all the time

[@johnculotta8440]

Thank you! Drove past this thing so many times wondering who’s idea it was to build something like this way out here.

[@JamesWoodTN]

Wild place, and so close to the highway. Thanks for showing us.

[@bigbrad3441]

I'm just glad you had The OG pictures of it.

[@DjLOU82]

on our way to vegas in the late 70’s and early 80’s i always use to say to myself one day im going to visit lake dolores i was around 10-12, i never got a chance. I still remember that theme song on the tv commercial.

[@cjcj5596]

Thanks for exploring this place ….I always wondered about the water park when I pass by

[@cecoya]

Didn't even know this place existed. That would have been fun back in the day for sure. You are true about people being "sue happy" They look for ways to get hurt accidently on purpose. Life was different back then. Thanks for sharing and you all have a great day

[@stormet54]

Thanks for the tour. There were plans for a nearby gated housing development with canals and a lagoon.

[@vartkesvseropian5031]

Always!! ...GOOD STUFF !!!! GREAT VIDS!!thank you

[@kamaka07]

Appreciate you guys doing this. I'm originally from the Barstow area and it was a great place for young poeple to go have fun and stay out of trouble back in the day. You guys do great work on this channel showing people the ins and outs of the desert region of CA and NV. I do have a request, would it be possible for you to do a video on the mojave river at some point? Thanks and your content is greatly appreciated!

[@davestevens4263]

Mojave river is interesting for sure ! 1 of 2 rivers in the world that flows from south to north. Nile is the other I believe. Crazy shit there , like water running up hill ??????

[@jeffmentzer9186]

There is a Creek in Nebraska that flows from South to North named Salt Creek!!! I knew that about the Nile River but have never heard of the Mojave River!! Thank you for the information!!!

[@paulp.6399]

Willamette River in Oregon also runs south to north.@@davestevens4263

[@chrispepau4186]

@@davestevens4263 Other rivers that flow south to north include: St. John’s River in Florida, the San Joaquin River in California, the Red River running through several southern states, the Shennandoah in Virginia and West Virginia, the Ob, Yenisey and Lena Rivers in Russia, and the Mackenzie River in Canada.

[@jenaemarieAZ]

'Life will find a way to grow over everything we've done here.' Excellent statement, Jr.

[@susiebehl9428]

Went there 3 times like 76’ 79’ and 81’ and it’s a great memory of an Extreme Water Park The Stand Up slide was Insane along with the cable drop that pool was kinda like lake water. The lazy river water was great. It was a great place to meet people and learning about adulthood. Been water skiing at the Newberry Springs Lakes. Las Vegas’s Wet n Wild was the best Water Park IMO. Great Video guy’s very informative and entertaining!

[@terryhiggins9700]

Thanks for giving a tour. Love the abandoned series. Greetings from Ireland

[@chromasux2]

There's so much history to be discovered and shared. I love seeing things of the past like this, and finding out stories you wouldn't believe or expect. It's a shame we've become a society of victimization. No one feels responsible for themselves and that's not how it's supposed to be. But it's the world we live in now, so places like this operate on a knife's edge.

[@hrswreck]

I went to Electric Daisy Carnival at Lake Delores back in 1999. That was a legendary party for the books.

[@LeslieGorman]

I really enjoy these snippets of history. Thanks!

[@ComeFromTheMoon]

Guys, I'm worried about flooding in your area from Hilary. Would you make a quick update about how nature is affecting everyone and lake Mead. Thanks for the experience sharing! Stay safe.

[@SubatomicSuperStar]

Some great commentary and insights about how these locations were once treasured by many for various reasons, the memory remains.

[@markangelorgs.2773]

Yeah, safety wasn't much of a concern in the 70's. I remember bicycling without helmets, no seatbelts and sitting in lawn chairs in the back of pickup trucks. Ah, freedom I sure miss it.

[@Rob8729]

Pfft...life was like that up until about 1995.

[@skylermummert24]

@@Rob8729 exactly

[@titanguy3527]

Passed this place about 10 -20 times on my way to Vegas! I always wondered what happened, so thanks for sharing...

[@robertcampbell8275]

I used to go there all the time great party place and the girls were very friendly

[@dragonballzkai7maru]

Great tour. I always see it from the Fwy when I head to Vegas. Now I know what it looks like up close. Thanks guys.

[@donna4475]

I use to go there as a kid. I was born and raised in Vegas. My brother worked with a lady who's parents owned it at one time. 🎉