Seven Magic Mountains is a vibrant art installation located in the desert just 25 minutes drive south from the Las Vegas Strip. Designed by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone in 2015, the “mountains” consist of 7 multicolored boulder towers stacked more than thirty feet high. It’s a strange but unique concept, and we think it’s a fun photo spot to check out when you visit Vegas.
In this guide we explain everything you need to know about visiting the Seven Magic Mountains near Las Vegas, based on our experiences.
Our Experience
We’ve been to Vegas a few times now, and each time we go we like to add on new attractions nearby, just to get away from the Strip for a few hours. We visited Seven Magic Mountains for around 30 minutes on a beautiful weekday morning in November 2022 and it was actually a lot better than we expected. So we added it to our list of the most fun things to do in Las Vegas.
It was busier than we imagined, so in hindsight we probably should have arrived much earlier in the morning. In fact, as travel photographers the next time we visit it’ll be either for sunrise or sunset for soft light and hopefully a dramatic sky. The boulder towers make for fantastic photography, so you’re sure to see lots of photo shoots taking place. Read more about us.
Getting To Seven Magic Mountains
Seven Magic Mountains is located next to Interstate 15 near Jean Dry Lake, which is around 21.5 miles from Bellagio in the center of the Las Vegas Strip. If you stay on the south end of the strip near Luxor the distance is 20 miles. And if you stay on the north end of the strip near the Venetian the distance is 22 miles.
You can take either Interstate 15 or Las Vegas Blvd to reach Seven Magic Mountains from the Las Vegas Strip. The roads run parallel to one another, so we recommend you take whichever has the least amount of traffic based on live conditions from your maps app.
If you take I-15 from Vegas, you’ll need to exit onto Las Vegas Blvd either at Speed Vegas or at the Chevron garage near Jean and Goodsprings. Whereas if you’re driving from the opposite side (ie. from Los Angeles), you’ll naturally pass by the installation on your way into Vegas, so you should take the slip road at the Chevron garage.
You can take an Uber from Las Vegas to Seven Magic Mountains but getting back to Vegas could be an issue. We recommend you make sure the driver is willing to wait for you at the exhibit before taking you back to the Strip afterwards.
Seven Magic Mountains Parking
When you arrive at Seven Magic Mountains you’ll find a large gravel parking lot with plenty of spaces. It’s located directly off Las Vegas Blvd, and the easiest way to get straight to the parking area is to type “Seven Magic Mountains Parking” into your GPS or maps app of choice.
Alternatively, here’s the exact parking location you can click to open in your maps app now. All you have to do is input your current location and the map will show you the quickest route to reach the parking area based on live traffic conditions.
As you can see in our photo above, the art installation is located just a short walk from the parking lot.
How Much Does It Cost?
Seven Magic Mountains has no entry cost or parking fee. It’s completely free to visit and it’s open to the public 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Not having to pay for something is always a nice bonus, but this is especially true when you visit Las Vegas!
It’s a quick, easy and fun place to visit, but the fact that it’s also free should help encourage you to add Seven Magic Mountains into your Vegas itinerary. You won’t find many other free activities or attractions in the area.
Our Seven Magic Mountains Photos
Seven Magic Mountains is an incredibly photogenic art exhibit in the middle of a barren desert, so naturally most people are visiting to take photos. We took our camera and we flew our drone quickly to snap a few arial photos of the exhibit before leaving. There were lots of others flying drones, so we waited our turn to make sure the noise wasn’t too much for everyone else below.
Our photos would have been much better if we’d visited at dawn or dusk, but our itinerary fell another way and unfortunately we couldn’t make it happen. If you’re a pro photographer, just remember there’s going to be lots of social media photo shoots going on, so you might want to visit outside of the 9:00am-3:00pm rush.
Here are just a few of the Seven Magic Mountains photos we took during our visit, starting with close ups and ending with our drone shots.
What You Can Expect
We think Las Vegas is one of the best places to visit in the USA and Seven Magic Mountains is a super easy place to visit from the Strip. But what exactly can you expect to find when you arrive at the tall and colorful boulder stacks?
Crowds – Las Vegas is a year round tourist magnet and Seven Magic Mountains is a popular nearby attraction, so you should expect it to be busy. If you want to avoid crowds, we recommend visiting before 8:00am. We have to say that the sheer volume of people on site was by far the worst part of our overall experience, but that was our fault for visiting at 10:00am.
Accessibility – Getting from the parking lot to the art exhibit is easy, flat and takes no longer than a few minutes. The dirt path is made up of small stones and it can be uneven, but it should be no issue for robust strollers or wheelchairs. We even saw someone riding one of those electric self-balancing hoverboard scooters.
Boulder Towers – We were pleasantly surprised by the art installation itself because it isn’t gimmicky or pretentious. Instead, it’s curiously thought provoking once you can see past the endless photo shoots. You can walk around and through each of the boulder towers with no limitations. Expect to see most people standing up against a colorful boulder at the base of a tower for perspective photos.
Tours – If you want to see Seven Magic Mountains but don’t have a car or you want an easier experience, you can book lots of tour options which include the art installation. We recommend you look at the top rated tours with both GetYourGuide and Viator to see which is the best fit for your plans.
Things To Do At Seven Magic Mountains
To be honest, there’s not much to do once you arrive at Seven Magic Mountains except to walk around and take plenty of photos. If you appreciate modern art and cool concepts, you’ll enjoy this vibrant exhibit.
You won’t find any other attractions, hiking trails, alternative photo spots or fun places to visit in the immediate area. You’ll simply drive down from Las Vegas, park your car, walk around the art installation, take some photos and then leave. It’s a nice, easy fleeting stop for your itinerary.
The Morgan Conclusion
Is Seven Magic Mountains worth it when you visit Las Vegas? Well, our honest answer is yes and no. It’s a fun, photogenic, easy and quick place to visit and it’ll be great for certain visitors to Vegas. But if you’re not interested in art or photography, we think you should give Seven Magic Mountains a miss and instead hike in Red Rock Canyon or explore the stunning Valley of Fire State Park.
Here’s who should visit Seven Magic Mountains:
- Photographers and social media users
- Art enthusiasts or anyone who genuinely appreciates modern artistic concepts
- Those with at least 3-4 days in Las Vegas looking for a quick, easy and free day trip
And here’s who should NOT visit Seven Magic Mountains:
- Those not interested in photography or art
- Anyone who would prefer to take a more active day trip from Las Vegas
- Those with just one or two days in Vegas
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Want more Nevada content? Head over to our Nevada Travel Guides to explore State Parks, beautiful landscapes and the best things to do in Las Vegas.
We hope this Seven Magic Mountains guide helps with planning your visit to Las Vegas!
Please let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.
Happy Travels,
Mark and Kristen
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Mark and Kristen Morgan are travel, hiking and photography experts. Over the last 6 years traveling full time, they have explored more than 40 countries and 30 US states.
Where Are Those Morgans has been featured in USA Today, Gestalten, Get Your Guide, CityPASS and Condé Nast Traveler along with various other publications. Read more about us.