Parking

[CreamyClayK]

I’ve had several questions/concerns about parking my car when going quicksand hunting. Where can I leave my car if the quicksand isn’t near any park areas, how far of a walk is too far, things like that. Please let me know about anything I should be worried about, the last thing I want is to get in legal trouble or get my car towed

[mudxdresser]

Where to park near a mudpit is entirely situational, there is no one size fits all answer. What I can tell you is that in many parts of the US, it is no longer possible to park anywhere near most mudpits or you will either draw the attention of the local constabulary or your car will be messed with by thieves/vandals. Obviously, finding parking near tidal or rivers is easier than near quarries and the area of the country that you are in is also a big consideration.

If any area feels dodgy somehow, well it probably is and you should consider instead parking your car in a public place like a shopping center, convenience store, or park and bicycling or walking to the mudpit. Keep in mind that even when walking, you may draw attention in certain parts of the country. Dress in a nondescript manner and if you have a lot of gear, stash it in the bushes near the mudpit so you don't have to carry it with you.

[bogbud]

I agree.
Use only an area where a parked car raises no suspicion. Even deep in the countryside use a spot other folks (hikers, runners, dogwalkers) may use, too. That could be a crossing of two tracks, the entry into the forest or at least when parking along a road use a spot that is visibly used for parking from time to time. Don't drive into (for example) the forest or the bog as if you wanted to hide from someone. Sure, with the right car you could pretend to be a ranger or hunter, but that will only work until the real ranger or hunter will show up.

After parking you have to walk the rest of the distance of course. It depends up to you how far you want to walk. In the past i did walk about 3-4 kilometers from the parking area to my spots. Over time i became lazy and spoiled with better spots that are a bit less then one kilometer away.

[Nessie]

This almost never came up for me.

I always used parks, wildlife refuges and other public land -- usually there was a parking lot.

There was one exception but there was a strip mall near that one, so I parked there.

Nessie

[lonesinker]

So far I also have had no issues parking or ever have, but also depends where your going. If you park near a conservation area,most people would think the parker went hiking . I would be more concerned driving on a secluded road that isn't easily passable with a car and possibly getting stuck which has happened to me once. Nice to own a 4x4 or AWD car.I have heard of people driving on a desert road and getting stuck miles away with sometimes no cell signal to call for help...situational awareness is the key.

[cj125]

As long as your not in a bad neighborhood and there’s no signage or laws explicitly stating where you can’t park, you should be golden. Both of my frequent spots have “parking” near them which is just a patch of open gravel and passers-by have never made a comment. Most people are too caught up in their own life to care.

[abcde321]

The other problem is what to deal with your car keys. It's not a very good idea to walk into mudpit with them. If you lose keys (or some car alarm-related electronics become wet) it would be a very big problem. If your mudpit is near the car and it's not a very public area (4x4 car is still very useful) it's a good technic to hide keys somewhere inside a car and lock it with the different key (without any immo, remote controls etc attached, only main hardware key to open the door). And then hide this key somewhere outside the car (under fenders, on the frame, suspension may be using a some magnet etc) or carry with you (bad idea). If you lose this key in a some way - you at least can brake the door glass, find complete key set and ride away.
The other one good option is a keyless entry keypad like on the some american SUVs.
Be aware that key should be clean before insert it into keyhole or you can seize a lock.

[Mynock]

The magnetic key hider trick works great, I just lock my regular keys inside and get back in using the spare stuck down on the frame rail. Or I just don't lock it. Kind of pointless when you have a soft top Wrangler and the windows are velcroed on lol.

[abcde321]

This is a good idea too. But I'm a little more calm with regular keys inside (my car is hardtop).

[bogbud]

I always take my keys and also my papers with me when sinking.
They are safely stored in a pocket of my jacket behind a zip (it makes a big difference how the pocket can be closed, a zip is much better than just buttons).
Still they DID get wet (not muddy) a couple times already and i was always concerned if the remote still works when i went back to the car but until now everything went well.