Las Vegas: Seven Magic Mountains & Iconic Sign Day Trip

4.84

(148 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

Bright pinks and yellows just popped out of the sand as we drove south from Las Vegas—like someone spilled a giant box of chalk on the Mojave. Our guide, Carla, said people sometimes don’t believe Seven Magic Mountains are real until they see them. She was right. The boulders looked almost fake against all that beige desert. I kept squinting at them, not sure if my sunglasses were playing tricks. There was this dry wind carrying a hint of dust and something sweet—maybe creosote? Anyway, it felt good to just stand there and stare for a bit. A couple from Reno tried to guess how heavy each rock was (no one got close).

Carla told us about Ugo Rondinone, the artist behind these towers, and how the installation was only supposed to last two years but locals fought to keep it. That made me smile—there’s something stubbornly joyful about these colors in all that emptiness. I tried to take a photo that did it justice but honestly, nothing really caught how weirdly peaceful it felt being there in person. The sun bounced off those rocks so hard I had to shield my eyes, but I liked it.

Later we swung back toward the city and stopped at the Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign. There was a short line of people taking photos (and one Elvis impersonator who winked at me). The sign is smaller than I expected but somehow feels bigger than life—maybe because everyone around seemed genuinely happy just to be there. Someone handed me their phone for a group shot and thanked me in Spanish; I fumbled my reply but we all laughed anyway. So yeah, not what I pictured when I thought “day trip Las Vegas,” but now every time I see neon lights I remember that afternoon sun on painted stone.