Lucerne Valley is a census-designated place and desert valley in the southern Mojave Desert, in the western part of San Bernardino County, California. The geographic valley is framed by the Granite Mountains, the Ord Mountains, and the San Bernardino Mountains, and the community lies east of the Victor Valley, the High Desert region anchored by Victorville, Apple Valley, Adelanto, and Hesperia. It sits about 19 miles east of Apple Valley and 20 miles north of Big Bear Lake. The area's history reaches back through Native American settlement and the later conflicts and homesteading of the 19th-century Mojave Desert frontier. For generations, Lucerne Valley has functioned as a small, self-reliant desert community — its history includes a reported final armed clash between immigrant settlers and Native Americans in the Mojave — and it has long served as a gateway between the Victor Valley and the San Bernardino Mountains. As of the 2020 census, the population was about 5,300. Today Lucerne Valley is a quiet, largely unincorporated community of roughly 5,300 residents spread across desert acreage. It is known for clean air, abundant sunshine, and exceptionally dark night skies, and its economy and daily life are tied to the surrounding desert and mountains. The Lucerne Valley Unified School District, a small TK-12 system established in 1987, anchors local education, while the nearby Johnson Valley off-highway riding area draws off-road enthusiasts from across the region. For homebuyers, Lucerne Valley offers rural, high-desert living with room to spread out, at a markedly different pace and price point than the larger High Desert cities. It appeals to off-roaders, stargazers, and anyone seeking acreage, quiet, and easy access to Big Bear and the San Bernardino National Forest.