For the ‘Gram: Seven Magic Mike Mountains

I’m sure you’ve seen it all over Instagram. People posing cheekily in front of giant rocks painted in neon colors stacked on top of each other in the middle of the desert.

Well that’s “Seven Magic Mountains”, a joyful art installation and pretty dope pit stop on the way to (or from) Las Vegas. It’s the work of Swiss artist, Ugo Rondinone, a collection of seven 30–35 feet tall “locally-sourced” day-glo boulders as a “creative expression of human presence in the desert.” Nailed it.

It was really cute to see families and couples and friends taking photos and playing around. We saw folks of all ages, ethnicities and abilities. We got there around 11am and it wasn’t super crowded…mabye 100–150 people? That seems like a lot but it’s a big enough space to have photo shoots and walk around without bumping into people. Also, people are pretty cool about getting out of your shot! But your feet will be dusty.

Seven Magic Mountains really easy to get to, just a bit off the Jean/Goodsprings exit off I-15. Google maps pronounces it “Googsprings” and we couldn’t stop cracking up. (Had to be there, I guess.) It seems like you’re driving into a desert abyss but then all of a sudden you see these bright sticks popping out of the ground. It’s pretty fresh from afar! There’s ample parking but if you’re approaching from Los Angeles, there’s a small makeshift lot before you get to the actual parking lot. We parked there and hopped a low wire to walk maybe 100 feet to the art. We didn’t know there was another parking lot, and signage explaining the installation, until we drove past it on our way to Las Vegas! That lot also looked more handicapped accessible.

I totally recommend stopping by even just as a rest stop before or after a boring drive on the 15. Do it for the’ gram! We spent maybe 30 minutes there and only 10 miles out of Vegas so you can also stop through on your way out. It was supposed to be taken down in 2018 but because of its popularity, the (smart) Bureau of Land Management extended their permit until the end of 2021. So you have some time to make it out and get your outfit together.

So why is this post called “Seven Magic Mike Mountains?” As you get closer to Vegas, there’s lots of billboards for the male strip shows like “Thunder Down Under” so that lead us down a rabbit hole about Magic Mike and those rocks are kinda phallic sooooooo…

Maybe you had to be there.