Quicksand Fans

Yes I agree, I'm in Los Angeles and it's almost impossible without driving to the desert, but maybe we can help each other out?

May I suggest Tecopa Hot Springs (Shoshone, California). There's a nice mud area there that is often usuable even in the winter if there's been rain and you get a warm day. Something of a drive, but the reward is it is totally legal to be in the mud. Go to the hot spring baths on the hills on the east side of the town that really isn't there. Drive about a half mile north along the main road and the mud is on the right (east) mainly. Inquire locally, the mud is well known. Just say you're looking for the natural hot spring pools there.

There are sometimes flies that bite there, like at most California hot springs. Sometimes the mud is deep, sometimes it is not. All the hills are made of pure clay but it takes the rain to soften it up and make the mud. Good hunting!

I was in Tecopa a few years back. The mud hills area did look great, but those biting flies drove me away before I could check it out properly. No idea what kind they were, but I had nasty welts for days. I'd love to go back when they aren't biting--anyone know when that is? Clearly not the beginning of September.