I stayed overnight at the campground. It was a good stop between Joshua Tree NP and San Diego. My campsite has shade and a nice sun shelter and the campground wasn’t terribly busy. As people have said before, the lake is dying and the wildlife is disappearing. I didn’t notice a bad smell because all the fish have long gone (5 years ago the last one died off) but you can’t go in the water because of the toxicity 🥺 It is a sad & sobering reminder of the effect we can have on nature if we don’t take care of it! Within easy driving distance are the mud pots, obsidian butte and the painted canyon (altho you need 4 wheel drive to access this)
I did find the mud volcanoes using directions from the Salton Sea State Recreation Area. If you type in “mud pots” into google maps that works as well. There were signs all over the property for no trespassing because it’s an active geothermal area so you can only see them from the dirt road. The other thing of interest nearby are the Obsidian Buttes (google maps will take you right there).
Definitely worth taking a look if you are passing by. It’s a quick jaunt off 30 so it doesn’t take much time away from the trip. The town is quaint with some nice shops and the washroom break is an adventure!