Things to do nearSeven Magic Mountains

Seven Magic Mountains was created by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone and opened in 2016 as a temporary public artwork, though its popularity led to extended agreements keeping it in place well beyond the original run. The installation consists of seven towers, each built from locally sourced dolomite boulders stacked and painted in Day-Glo colors, including acid yellow, hot pink, vivid orange, and electric blue. Positioned alongside Interstate 15 near Jean Dry Lake, the work is visible from the highway, drawing curious travelers off the road and into the open desert. Rondinone conceived the piece as a commentary on the tension between the natural and the artificial, a theme that feels especially resonant given the proximity to Las Vegas.

Visitors walk freely around and between the towers, which stand on a flat expanse with the Spring Mountains as a backdrop, creating a scene that is both surreal and quietly meditative. Photographers and artists are drawn to the site at different times of day, as the quality of desert light transforms the color palette from hour to hour. The surrounding Mojave landscape, sparse and ancient, amplifies the strangeness of the human-made forms rising from the earth.

There are no formal guided tours, but the open site lends itself to unhurried personal exploration. The installation is managed in partnership with the Nevada Museum of Art and the Art Production Fund. For anyone traveling between Las Vegas and the Southwest, Seven Magic Mountains offers a rare encounter with ambitious public sculpture in one of the most dramatic natural settings in the American West.