About a 40 minute drive from Joshua Tree, there’s actually some VERY good bouldering in Palm Springs.

The spot is in a California State Park, called Mt. San Jacinto state park. Hundreds of granite boulders just a short walk from the tramway. The setting is particularly striking because of the contrast between the blistering hot desert down below and the chilly alpine mountaintop strewn with gigantic pine trees and granite blocks.

On mountain project: link

“Dancing Queen” on the Abba Boulder

Things to note:

• It ain’t cheap. That’s the only problem with this spot. 12 dollars for parking and 30 dollars per person for the tram ride.
• Generally this spot is referred to as “the tramway”. There’s a lot of other spots in the area.
• No bouldering pad rental, etc. in the area
• No phone signal — download photos of stuff in advance.
• A good place to start is “the beach”.