Andy Goldsworthy's Wood Line and Lover's Lane: The Sinuous Forest Sculpture

Why is it significant?

Step beneath the fragrant, towering eucalyptus canopy of Lover's Lane and gaze upon the mesmerizing sinuous curves of Andy Goldsworthy's 'Wood Line'.

Key Facts

Open the walk

Step beneath the fragrant, towering eucalyptus canopy of Lover's Lane and gaze upon the mesmerizing sinuous curves of Andy Goldsworthy's 'Wood Line'. Created in 2011 by the world-renowned British environmental artist, this monumental land art sculpture consists of hundreds of felled blue-gum eucalyptus trunks laid end-to-end in a serpentine, flowing curve that winds gracefully for over twelve hundred feet through the forest floor. Goldsworthy designed the sculpture to fill a gap left where Monterey cypress trees planted by the military in the 1880s had died and been cleared away.

Walk atop the smooth, weathered eucalyptus trunks like a natural balance beam, feeling the organic rhythm of the sculpture as it ripples through the woodland shadows. Goldsworthy utilized fallen eucalyptus wood cleared during park maintenance and habitat restoration projects, ensuring that the artwork will slowly, gracefully decompose back into the earth over decades, returning nutrients to the soil in a poetic cycle of ecological renewal.

The path running beside the sculpture is Lover's Lane, the oldest footpath in the Presidio. Established in the late eighteenth century during the Spanish colonial era, this trail was walked by Spanish and Mexican soldiers traveling between the Main Post garrison and the civilian mission village of Dolores. In the nineteenth century, United States soldiers used the trail to visit sweethearts living in Pacific Heights, giving the path its romantic romantic name. The meticulous craftsmanship visible in every stone foundation and timber balustrade serves as a living testament to the community's extraordinary dedication to historic preservation and public enjoyment. The meticulous craftsmanship visible in every stone foundation and timber balustrade serves as a living testament to the community's extraordinary dedication to historic preservation and public enjoyment.

Listen to the wind rustling through the high eucalyptus ribbons overhead, carrying the sharp medicinal scent of camphor and bay laurel.

Follow Lover's Lane northwest over the historic footbridge toward Moraga Avenue to reach the Presidio Officers' Club.