Andy Goldsworthy’s Wood Line
Andy Goldsworthy’s curvy Wood Line is a playful art sculpture winding through the Eucalyptus forest.
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
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.
THE ANDY GOLDSWORTHY WOOD LINE EXPERIENCE
Walking near Wood Line is one of the coolest things to do in the Presidio.
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.
"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." ”
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The Presidio is San Francisco’s national park site, with endless trails, fun events, and unforgettable vistas of the Golden Gate Bridge.
