The Rand Mountains are located in the Mojave Desert northeast of California City and southwest of the town of Randsburg.

The mountains were the location of the Rand Mining District, with the mining towns of Randsburg, Red Mountain, and Johannesburg, now approaching ghost town status.

The mountains lie in a southwest-northeasterly direction at the eastern edge of the Fremont Valley.

The Scodie Mountains and the Sierra Nevada are to the west.

The Rand Mountains receive very little rainfall in a normal year, typically less than seven inches.