A very small town located just north of Joshua Tree National Park, between Yucca Valley (to the west) and Twentynine Palms (to the east).
Getting to Los Angeles is an hour drive. Palm Springs is a bit closer. Las Vegas is about 200 miles to the north, and there are only three buildings on the way. And cows, for some reason. (Seriously! My father had a map from Joshua Tree to Vegas that consisted of three or four lines, and around one point in a line, the word, "COWS". Even with the warning, after seeing nothing for 200 miles, he was surprised to find huge cows crossing the road before him. Good thing he knew, or might have still been going 90 mph...).
I had a tremendous amount of fun there, as the town is brimming with experienced rock climbers, many of whom are extremely friendly, and the people know how to party.
And hey...if rock climbing isn't your thing, you can always go skiing, about an hour drive away. Southern California rocks!