MacDonald Highlands incorporated the natural surroundings of the McCullough mountain range during its development. DragonRidge Country Club was carved and contoured through the mountains integrating fairways and elevated tee boxes into the natural landscape. Whenever possible rock outcroppings, desert washes and desert flora were left undisturbed or recreated to their original form. Plants in areas of disturbance were removed then later replanted to restore the desert ambiance, in fact nearly one million square feet. Most of this process was far too delicate for machinery and had to be painstaking carried out by hand.

Guidelines that preserve the landscape's natural beauty have also been established for building on the custom homesites in MacDonald Highlands as well. The architectural theme calls for homes that complement the natural environment and blend into the hillside surroundings with a rich palette of earth-tone colors and materials. MacDonald Highlands has also kept the homes-per-acre ratio low in order to maintain abundant open space. These custom homesites are spread out over approximately two square miles with MacDonald Highlands being the lowest density master-planned community in southern Nevada.

The Foothills Partners went to great lengths to safeguard the unique beauty of this special part of Nevada, but they would have it no other way.