Wender·Vista
Lake Dolores Waterpark
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileCalifornia · United States
off I-15 in the Mojave, near Newberry Springs

Lake Dolores Waterpark

— — a waterslide left to the desert.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A roadside waterpark Bob Byers built around a private spring in 1962, halfway between Barstow and Las Vegas. Closed for good in 2004. The slides and the wave pool are still there, sun-cracked and tagged, drawing photographers and Mojave wanderers off the interstate. A specific kind of American ruin, the kind the desert keeps but does not bury. — from the studio

from the studio
Lake Dolores Waterpark
— bring it home

Lake Dolores Waterpark, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about Lake Dolores Waterpark

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

Lake Dolores Waterpark sits on the north side of Interstate 15 near Newberry Springs in California's Mojave Desert, about halfway between Barstow and the Nevada line. Elevation is roughly 1,930 feet. The site is unincorporated San Bernardino County. The original lake was fed by a natural spring on land Bob Byers bought in the 1950s. He named it for his wife Dolores and built a private swim area in 1962, opening it to the public soon after as one of America's first dedicated waterparks.

— the stone

The structures still standing date from two eras. The first is the Byers-era slide towers and concrete wave pool of the 1960s and 70s, painted in faded turquoise and coral. The second is the brief 1998 Rock-A-Hoola revival and the 2002 Discovery Waterpark reopening, which closed within two years after a guest injury and insurance collapse. Both eras' bones remain on site, fenced and tagged, on private land patrolled intermittently by the county sheriff.

— the visit

The park is closed and posted as private property, with no legal public access. Visitors who pull off I-15 at the Hidden Springs Road exit can see the slide towers from the frontage road, which is the legitimate way to take it in. Daytime summer temperatures regularly exceed 40°C and there is no shade, so cooler months from October through April are the workable season for any roadside stop.

— where
United States · San Bernardino County, California
— elevation
588 m · 1,929 ft
— position
34.8847° N · 116.6814° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
6 km W
Newberry Springs
Mojave town
50 km W
Barstow
desert town
40 km N
Mojave National Preserve
national preserve
N
Lake Dolores Waterpark
Newberry Springs
Barstow
Mojave National Preserve
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about Lake Dolores Waterpark — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

On the north side of Interstate 15 near Newberry Springs, California, in the Mojave Desert about halfway between Barstow and the Nevada line. It sits on unincorporated land in San Bernardino County.

Bob Byers, who bought the land in the 1950s and built a private swim area around a desert spring in 1962. He named it for his wife Dolores and opened it to the public soon after.

The original Lake Dolores closed in 1990. It reopened briefly as Rock-A-Hoola in 1998 and again as Discovery Waterpark in 2002. The final closure came in 2004 after a guest injury and insurance loss.

No. The site is private property and posted, with no legal public access. The slide towers can be seen from the frontage road at the Hidden Springs Road exit off I-15.

It is one of the most photographed American ruins of the post-war roadside era. The bleached concrete and rust-streaked slide towers in the open Mojave have drawn photographers, music video crews, and film location scouts for two decades.

The 1998 reopening, themed to 1950s and 60s rock and roll. It ran for two seasons before closing again. The original mid-century structures stayed in place through every relaunch.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. Desert and Route 66 collectors recognise Lake Dolores immediately. A Small or Medium in the studio note carries well for a photographer or a road-trip friend with a story about the I-15 corridor.

The faded turquoise and coral palette sits well in Mid-century Modern, Desert Modern, and Maximalist rooms. It also reads as a quiet conversation piece in a media room or home bar.

Yes. Desert Modern and Palm Springs-leaning rooms are pulling toward specific California ruins rather than generic cactus prints. A named site like Lake Dolores reads as collected, not decorated.

A single Large reads as a hung painting above a console. Above a standard sofa, a 4-tile Mural holds the wall; a 9-tile Mural anchors a wider living room or studio.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. The colour is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, so steam, splash, and pool-room humidity do not lift it.

A soft microfibre cloth and plain water. For a tile in a bath or near a sink, a damp wipe weekly is enough. No abrasive sponges and no ammonia-based cleaners.

Yes. The Lake Dolores piece was painted in our studio in Knoxville, Tennessee. We do not license images from outside; every vista in the atlas is our own.

— if this one stayed with you

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