The Lava Bed Mountains are located in the Mojave Desert

Mojave Desert

The Mojave Desert occupies a significant portion of southeastern California and smaller parts of central California, southern Nevada, southwestern Utah and northwestern Arizona, in the United States...

 in southeastern California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

, USA. The mountains lie in a northwest-southeasterly direction, and are located almost entirely within the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms

Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms

The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center , also known as 29 Palms, is a United States Marine Corps base. It was a census-designated place officially known as Twentynine Palms Base located adjacent to the city of Twentynine Palms in southern San Bernardino County, California. As of the 2000...

, which is a restricted area. The mountains reach a height of 4488 feet (1,367.9 m) above sea level at Argos Mountain, and are found at the northwestern end of the Bullion Mountains

Bullion Mountains

The Bullion Mountains are located in the Mojave Desert of California southeast of the city of Barstow. The mountain range stretches for approximately 50 miles in a northwest-southeasterly direction north of Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms....

. Gays Pass is located at the southern end of the chain, with the Rodman Mountains

Rodman Mountains

The Rodman Mountains are located in the Mojave Desert, in San Bernardino County, California, United States. The range is located south of Interstate 40 and Newberry Springs, and east of the Ord Mountains and northwest of the Bullion Mountains...

to the northwest. The Lava Bed Mountains are approximately 11 miles (17.7 km), and lie in the arid climate zone, characterized by little rainfall.