A Family Adventure at Wood Line in the Presidio
Imagine discovering a secret path winding through a majestic eucalyptus forest right here in San Francisco!
That's Andy Goldsworthy's Wood Line, a playful 1,200-foot sculpture made entirely from reclaimed tree branches. It's one of the most photographed spots in the Presidio, offering amazing photo opportunities with the kids. People of all ages love the challenge of balancing on the logs as they meander through the trees. It's a unique chance to interact with art in nature, sparking wonder and creating lasting family memories in this beautiful national park setting.
More than just a sculpture, Wood Line represents an ongoing conversation – between the artist, the specific history of its location, the natural cycles of growth and decay, and the experience of those who walk its path. It embodies Andy Goldsworthy's artistic philosophy while responding thoughtfully to the layered human and natural history of the Presidio. Let's trace the story of this remarkable installation.
How to get there
Location: Find Wood Line in the Presidio's Southern Wilds region, tucked into a eucalyptus grove near the intersection of Presidio Boulevard and West Pacific Avenue, just off Lovers' Lane. Look for the trailhead parking marked on Google Maps.
Parking: Paid parking is available throughout the Presidio, though very limited free spots might be found along West Pacific Avenue near the trailhead. Consider the paid lot near the Presidio Officers' Club as an alternative. Parking fees support park maintenance.
Public Transit: The free Presidio GO Shuttle offers Downtown and South Hills routes serving the park. Check schedules online or via the Transit App, as some commute trips require a pass. Muni route 43 also stops near the Presidio.
What to Expect:
Cost & Hours: Visiting Wood Line and the Presidio grounds is free. The outdoor installation is accessible during park hours. Remember that the indoor installations, Tree Fall and Earth Wall, have limited and potentially changing hours; check the Presidio website for current status before your visit.
Interaction: You're welcome to walk alongside or carefully balance on the logs, becoming part of the artwork's gentle transformation.
Attire: Wear comfortable walking shoes, as the path is on natural, potentially uneven terrain.
Timing & Crowds: Wood Line is a popular spot. Arrive early for fewer crowds. The light changes beautifully throughout the day, offering different photographic opportunities in the morning, afternoon, or dusk.
Exploring Further:
Goldsworthy Loop: Consider the 3-mile hike connecting all four Goldsworthy installations (Spire, Wood Line, Tree Fall, Earth Wall) for a deeper dive into his work. Scroll down to the end to learn more.
Dogs: Leashed dogs are welcome on most Presidio trails, including those around Wood Line. Be aware of seasonal trail closures for coyote pupping (typically spring through fall) and always keep dogs leashed unless in designated voice-control or off-leash areas. Remember to pick up after your pet.
Nearby: Combine your visit with a walk on Lovers' Lane (SF's oldest footpath), explore El Polín Spring, let kids play at the Presidio Wall Playground, or grab refreshments at the Presidio Golf Course or near the Main Post.
A Line Through Memory
Andy Goldsworthy's Wood Line is a profound example of environmental art's potential. Born from the Presidio's unique blend of history, ecology, and human intervention, it embodies the artist's philosophy of listening to and collaborating with nature. Its simple, winding form, made from the forest itself, doesn't just fill a historical gap; it "draws the place," revealing the land's contours and the quiet passage of time.
As part of Goldsworthy's larger Presidio project, it dialogues with its companion pieces, exploring growth, decay, and the intricate ties between the man-made and the natural. Its embrace of ephemerality invites contemplation on transformation. By inviting us to walk its length, Wood Line turns viewers into participants in its slow return to the earth. It endures not as a static object, but as a living, changing presence – a line drawn through the Presidio's landscape and through the memory of all who follow its path.
The Artist Who Collaborates with Nature
Understanding Wood Line means understanding Andy Goldsworthy. Born in England in 1956, he's a leading figure in environmental art, known for site-specific works created outdoors using natural materials. Early work as a farm laborer gave him a deep appreciation for nature's rhythms. He soon realized his true studio was the landscape itself, setting the stage for a career deeply engaged with place.
Goldsworthy describes his process as a "collaboration with nature". He works with the materials he finds – stones, leaves, twigs, ice, mud – exploring their inherent qualities rather than imposing his will. Nature isn't just a source of materials; it's a co-creator. Weather, decay, and the unique properties of found objects become integral parts of the art.
His materials are dictated by the immediate environment. "I can't edit the materials I work with," he states, "My remit is to work with nature as a whole". This makes his art inseparable from its location. The process often requires patience and sensitivity, like waiting for freezing temperatures to work with ice. For many temporary pieces, he uses only his hands or simple tools, emphasizing a direct connection. "Learning and understanding through touch and making," he says, is a key reason for his work. While this intimate approach defines much of his ephemeral art, larger installations like Wood Line necessitate tools and assistance, adapting his process to scale.
Time, transformation, and decay are recurring themes. Many Goldsworthy pieces are intentionally temporary, designed to melt, wither, or decompose, returning to the earth. This focus on transience reflects natural cycles and challenges traditional notions of artistic permanence. Decay isn't an endpoint, but part of the life of the work. "It's not about art," he reflects, "It's just about life and the need to understand that a lot of things in life do not last". He documents these fleeting creations through photography, preserving them in image form.
Ultimately, Goldsworthy's art is fundamentally site-specific. His works emerge from and respond to the unique character, materials, and history of a place, including the human presence left behind. This sensitivity guides his interventions in the Presidio's complex landscape.
A Forest Shaped by History
The Presidio offers a rich backdrop. A military post from 1776 until 1994, its landscape bears the marks of Spanish, Mexican, and U.S. occupation before becoming a national park site.
One major transformation was the creation of the forest. Starting in the 1880s, the U.S. Army planted hundreds of thousands of trees – primarily fast-growing eucalyptus, Monterey pine, and Monterey cypress – across the dunes. This wasn't wilderness creation; it was landscaping for shelter and aesthetics. The forest is a "manmade construct" , a blend of human intention and natural growth, making it a resonant site for Goldsworthy, who seeks "to make connections between what we call nature and what we call man-made".
Crucially for Wood Line, the Army planted Monterey cypress in rows among the eucalyptus. The cypress struggled and died out in many areas, leaving distinct linear gaps in the groves. This ecological outcome of a past planting strategy created the specific void that Wood Line now fills.
By the late 20th century, the aging forest needed revitalization. Around 2003, the Presidio Trust, NPS, and Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy began a reforestation program, removing declining trees and replanting to create a healthier forest. This essential work yielded the reclaimed wood used for Goldsworthy's Presidio installations, directly linking the art's materials to the site's ongoing life cycle.
Genesis of the Line: Filling a Historical Gap
Wood Line's creation involved a key partnership between Goldsworthy, the Presidio Trust, and the FOR-SITE Foundation. FOR-SITE, a non-profit dedicated to "art about place," facilitates site-specific works that engage with environmental dialogue. Goldsworthy first visited in 2006, drawn to the man-made forest, which led to his first Presidio work, Spire, in 2008.
The collaboration continued with Wood Line. The chosen site was deliberate: one of the linear clearings near Lovers' Lane where the Army's cypress planting had failed over a century ago. The artwork was conceived to occupy and articulate this specific historical absence, arising directly from a gap in the landscape's ecological story.
Work spanned the summers of 2010 and 2011. As the second of four Goldsworthy installations here, Wood Line shifted focus from Spire's verticality to the horizontal plane of the forest floor. Creating art in this protected area required careful planning and execution, managed expertly by FOR-SITE.
"Drawing the Place": Design and Construction
Wood Line takes a simple yet evocative form: a continuous, serpentine line of eucalyptus logs and branches stretching 1,200 feet along the forest floor. Its path follows the land's gentle contours, flowing towards the Tennessee Hollow Watershed. This horizontality contrasts deliberately with the towering trees and the vertical Spire.
The material is entirely eucalyptus, reclaimed from park management activities. Construction required a "delicate touch" to avoid disturbing the historic trees or their roots. Logs were carefully transported and placed, highlighting the balance between artistic intervention and conservation. For Goldsworthy, this hands-on process is essential nourishment.
He describes the artwork as "drawing the place". The line doesn't impose but rather traces and highlights what's already present – the land's shape, the historical void, the connection between trees and ground. It reveals rather than invents. You can find it nestled in a eucalyptus grove just off Lovers' Lane (San Francisco's oldest footpath) near Presidio Boulevard, in the park's Southern Wilds region.
Themes: Time, Decay, and Integration
Wood Line embodies Goldsworthy's core themes of time, decay, and integration. It was conceived as non-permanent, designed to slowly decompose and return to the earth. This embrace of decay represents nature's "inevitable transformation" and challenges viewers to find value in transience.
The sculpture strives for seamless integration, using materials from the site and following the land's contours to blur the line between artifice and nature. Its ongoing decay becomes part of the artistic process, a physical manifestation of Goldsworthy's "collaboration with nature".
This slow dissolution resonates with the site's history – a man-made forest marked by planting, growth, ecological consequences, and ongoing management. By decaying within this context, Wood Line subtly mirrors the site's narrative of intervention and natural response.
The contrast with Spire further clarifies its themes. Spire directs the gaze upward, evoking growth. Wood Line lies low, drawing attention downward to the earth – the source and destination in the cycle of decay. While Spire articulates the space into which trees grow, Wood Line investigates the relationship between tree and ground.
Wood Line in the Presidio Collection
Wood Line is part of a larger Goldsworthy project in the Presidio, comprising four installations (2008-2014) – the largest collection of his public work in North America. Each uses materials sourced from park management, exploring the site's history, environment, and cycles of life and death.
Spire (2008): A 100-foot tower of salvaged Monterey cypress trunks symbolizing forest renewal.
Wood Line (2011): The horizontal counterpoint, tracing the forest floor, exploring decay and the ground connection.
Tree Fall (2013): An indoor piece in the historic Powder Magazine, featuring a clay-coated eucalyptus trunk, exploring the subterranean. (Note: Currently temporarily closed for public visits).
Earth Wall (2014): A sphere of eucalyptus embedded in a rammed earth wall at the Officers' Club, evoking archaeology. (Note: Limited viewing hours, typically Saturdays).
Together, they represent a deepening investigation of the Presidio's layers. A popular three-mile hiking loop connects all four installations, though checking the current accessibility and hours for Tree Fall and Earth Wall is recommended.
