Hello! We are Pang and Kim both born and raised in Singapore. Welcome to our travel guide on the amazing Seven Magic Mountains in Nevada, USA.
Our stories began nine years ago at an ex-company when Pang (the IT guy) assisted Kim (the new HR girl) with setting up her laptop. We discovered our common interest for travel during our road trip to Melbourne in 2014.
That was also the trip that made us realise how enormous and amazing the world is. It also made us ponder the life that we wanted to lead, whether to accept the default 9-5 working life or to break through the norm.
Since then, we have always made a point to travel as and when we can. PangKim Adventure was created with the aspiration to become full time travellers one day! A favourite quote of ours that we try to live by everyday: “Every man dies. Not every man really lives” – William Wallace.
Road Trippin’ through the USA for Two Weeks
During our planning and research for our recent two week road trip in the United States (California and Arizona), we realised that there were just too many beautiful places to visit. At that point, Kim started to share lots of incredible photos of Seven Magic Mountains in Nevada with Pang.
Diving deeper, we found out the meaning of Seven Magic Mountains to be very significant: “Seven Magic Mountains elicits continuities and solidarities between human nature, artificial and natural, then and now.” We always love how we humans can coexist seamlessly with our motherland.
We then decided to add this colourful and vibrant place to our itinerary.
Visiting Las Vegas and Seven Magic Mountains
Our California and Arizona road trip went for two weeks and we decided to pop into Nevada to visit Las Vegas for two days as well. We drove two hours from Joshua Tree National Park using our rented SUV to Seven Magic Mountains before heading to Las Vegas for a couple of fun-filled days.
The time at this epic destination was spent taking a whole lot of photos with the iconic colourfully stacked rocks and learning about the history of Seven Magic Mountains. The next half a day was spent visiting the famous Las Vegas and walking around the Strip to enjoy the “Vegas” mood.
We really love how vibrant and colourful the stone sculptures are, especially when they stand out against the clear blue sky and vast reddish desert. To add, it’s located out of nowhere away from everything. This is what we can’t find and have never seen before, coming from our Singaporean context.
5 Things To Do Surrounding Seven Magic Mountains
For travellers who want to enjoy the best of Seven Magic Mountains, it’s best to arrive early in the morning or right before sunrise. That’s the best time to capture the beautiful stone sculptures with the most amazing natural backdrop, particularly when there are not many people around!
Our top five adventures that we experienced on our USA road trip:
1. Experience Las Vegas and Seven Magic Mountains
Las Vegas has always been high on Pang’s bucket list because of the movie – The Hangover. It blew his mind when we were walking down the Strip around millions of lights from the casinos and taking in the nightlife.
This was the place where we did the main bulk of our shopping at the Outlets. We literally went crazy over the pricing and wide variety of clothing and cosmetics. Additionally, our experience at the spectacular Seven Magic Mountains made our trip to Las Vegas even more memorable.
2. Immerse in Nature at Yosemite National Park
What amazed us about Yosemite National Park was how close we got to nature. We were enclosed by trees and mountains with fresh air and little noise or light pollution. Most of our time was spent hiking, appreciating Mother Nature and having lots of time to self-reflect on our journey.
3. Explore the Incredible Antelope Canyon
We believe everyone knows about Antelope Canyon and how astonishing the canyon walls are. We booked an afternoon tour and realised no tripods or videography were allowed. So we were kind of disappointed initially but quickly understood the reason behind this after seeing the crowd!
The place was a wonder of the natural world with details on canyon walls and sun rays shining through the canyon. It was incredibly mesmerising. We had a hard time leaving Antelope Canyon but soon realised that we needed to move on quickly to let others enjoy the canyon too.
4. Go Hiking at Zion National Park, Utah
This place was known for its riverside walk. At first it was difficult to trek with our shoes soaked in water. However, we brought trekking poles to aid us in the challenging walk (we did research beforehand and the advice was to bring poles). The experience we had at Zion was unique.
Imagine walking along the river and in canyons – nature all around!
5. Discover the Amazing Joshua Tree National Park
Joshua Tree National Park was our first time experiencing the desert and we loved the landscape and vibes! JTNP was on our travel bucket list for a very long (all thanks to Instagram) and it definitely did not disappoint.
Where to Stay around Seven Magic Mountains
We stayed at Serene Vegas which was located a distance away from the Vegas Strip. If we could recommend hotels, it would be to experience Bellagio or Caesars Palace. These hotels allow you to take in the Las Vegas mood in the comfort and luxury of your own hotel room.
What you Need to Know Before you Go
It always pays to reach any destination you visit early and the same can be said for Seven Magic Mountains. We arrived at around 9am in the morning and there were only a few others around. It made our photo taking easier.
We also recommend checking the weather forecast. Unfortunately, no one can control the weather but we can all control the activities we choose to do on that particular day. We went shopping on days the weather forecast showed a high possibility of rain. Our tip: never waste a single day!
Since Seven Magic Mountains is located nowhere, in the middle of the desert, it is always wise to bring lots of water with you. It can get super hot and dry – so it’s really important to keep yourself hydrated along the way.
Please, whatever you do, do not damage the artwork. We saw some people climbing on the stones at Seven Magic Mountains and found it dangerous – not only because it could have damaged the sculptures but also it seemed risky for the individuals and for the people around them.
Seven Magic Mountains is just a temporary exhibition and will remain on view through the end of 2021. So make sure you get there while you still can! Thanks for reading everyone and enjoy your visit to this amazing place.
