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Andy Goldsworthy’s Wood Line

Andy Goldsworthy’s curvy Wood Line is a playful art sculpture winding through the Eucalyptus forest.

Region

Southern Wilds Region

Type

Recreation & Wellness

Interests

History, Food, Art & Culture, Nature & Sustainability

Top Amenities

Free Parking, Trail Connection

Wood Line is one of the most-photographed places in the park.

Visitors walking down Lovers Lane probably don’t realize they’re just steps away from an iconic work by world renowned artist Andy Goldsworthy.

Tucked into a forest grove, Wood Line is a 1,200-foot sculpture made of Eucalyptus branches claimed from the Presidio’s program to rejuvenate the park’s forest, planted by the U.S. Army beginning in the 1880s. People of all ages love walking alongside – and even balancing on top of – the sculpture.

Completed in 2011, Wood Line will one day fade back into the earth. But until then, don’t miss this chance to experience a visionary take on the Presidio’s ever-changing landscape.

Getting to Wood Line

Andy Goldsworthy's Wood Line

Map of the Presidio

By Public Transit

Muni Route: 43 Masonic

Stop: Presidio Avenue & Jackson Street

By Presidio GO Shuttle

Route: Presidio Downtown Route

Stop: Tides Converge

Directions: The nearest shuttle stop to Wood Line is Tides Converge at Letterman Drive. From there, find your way to Lovers Lane and walk south toward the Presidio Gate.

Parking

There are a few spots along West Pacific Avenue near Wood Line and the Lovers Lane trailhead.

Why We Love Wood Line

To love a landscape is to accept that transformation is inevitable. This is the feeling conjured by Wood Line. Linking strands of the Presidio’s past, present, and future, this graceful fusion of nature and history proves there’s always a new path to take — even ones forged with familiar roots.

Accessibility at Wood Line

The closest wheelchair-accessible restrooms are at Presidio Wall Playground on West Pacific Avenue.

Insider Tip

The Presidio is the home to the largest collection of Andy Goldsworthy works on public view in North America. Experience all four of his installations – Spire, Tree Fall, Wood Line, and Earth Wall — by hiking on a three-mile loop led by the Goldsworthy in the Presidio guide. The walk encompasses parts of Lovers Lane, the Mountain Lake Trail, and the Ecology Trail.

A family walking near Andy Goldsworthy’s Wood Line, with a bicycle in the foreground.Photo by Brian Vahey.

THE ANDY GOLDSWORTHY WOOD LINE EXPERIENCE

Walking near Wood Line is one of the coolest things to do in the Presidio.

Two children walking on top of Wood Line.
Photo by Brian Vahey.

Presidio History and Nature

On this site in the late 1800s, the Army planted Eucalyptus with rows of Monterey cypress interspersed, to create a green canopy all around the Presidio. Conditions did not favor the cypress, and they died out, leaving open gaps. Wood Line fills one of these spaces with a quiet, graceful, sinuous sculpture that, in the artist’s words, “draws the place.”

High and Low

Begun in 2010 and completed a year later, Wood Line offers a stark contrast with his first Presidio piece, Andy Goldsworthy’s Spire, a towering sculpture nearly 100 feet high. While Spire asks viewers to look up, Wood Line invites you to contemplate where the life of a tree begins…the fertile earth.

Food and Restrooms

Take a 15-minute walk along the Mountain Lake Trail west to find Presidio Golf Course Ironwoods Bar & Grill and accessible restrooms.

Watch Wood Line Take Shape

Hear Andy Goldsworthy describe the making of Wood Line in this incredible short video.

A Partnership Project

Wood Line was made possible through the FOR-SITE Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the idea that art can inspire fresh thinking and important dialogue about our natural and cultural environment. For more, visit www.for-site.org.

Nature Notes

It’s our goal to make sure people can enjoy the Presidio’s natural beauty for generations to come. We work to protect native plants and animals while reducing our impact on the environment.

Revitalizing the Presidio Forest

We began replanting the Presidio’s aging forest in 2003. Since that time, more than 40 acres have been restored and 5,000 trees have been planted all around the park.

Learn More
Young trees planted at West Pacific Grove near Lovers’ Lane and the Presidio Gate.Photo by Brian Vahey.

"Coming back [to the Presidio] is so important. It deepens my sense of the gradual transformation of the landscape. It’s not just about drawing a line in the ground but seeing how its surface changes over time." ”

Andy Goldsworthy, from the New York Times

Park Itineraries

Need help planning your day at the Presidio? We’ve put together some itinerary ideas for things to see and do in the park. Whether you’re planning to spend a few hours or an entire day, there’s something for everyone at the Presidio.