Banning, incorporated in 1913, is a small city in Riverside County located in the San Gorgonio Pass, also known as the Banning Pass. Banning is located adjacent to Beaumont approximately 50 miles east of downtown Los Angeles and about 25 miles west of Palm Springs. Banning borders the Morongo Indian Reservation.

Beaumont, incorporated in 1912, is a small city located at the summit of the San Gorgonio Pass adjacent to Banning. The San Bernardino Mountains and Mount San Gorgonio are to the north and the San Jacinto Mountains and Jacinto Peak are to the south.

The San Gorgonio Pass or Banning Pass is a gap between the San Bernardino Mountains to the north and the San Jacinto Mountains to the south. The pass connects the greater Los Angeles region to the Coachella Valley which includes such cities as Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, and Indio, as well as the Salton Sea and Imperial Valley which are further to the south.

The pass has consistently high winds and is home to the San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm.