Some of San Francisco's most striking outdoor art is easy to walk right past. The Presidio holds four works by British artist Andy Goldsworthy, which the Presidio Trust calls the largest collection of his work on public view in North America. They're free to see, and the trust says a roughly three-mile loop using Lovers' Lane, the Mountain Lake Trail and the Ecology Trail links all four.

Spire (2008)

Goldsworthy's first Presidio piece is a tall, tapering spire made of 37 Monterey cypress trunks from aging trees felled at the site, part of the reforestation of a forest the U.S. Army began planting in the 1880s. The Presidio Trust says it stands 95 feet above ground plus 12 feet below, on a base about 15 feet wide. Young cypress planted around it are meant to eventually grow up and hide it. Spire was damaged by fire in June 2020 and has been repaired. It sits along the Bay Area Ridge Trail near Inspiration Point and the Arguello Gate; Muni's 1 California stops nearby, and there's parking at the Presidio Golf Course lot and Inspiration Point.

Wood Line (2010–2011)

A 1,200-foot line of eucalyptus branches snakes along the forest floor just off Lovers' Lane, near West Pacific Avenue. The trust says it will one day fade back into the earth. The Muni 43 runs nearby.

Tree Fall (2013)

Inside the Civil War-era Powder Magazine at 95 Anza Ave., a eucalyptus trunk hangs from the domed ceiling. It's coated in Presidio clay mixed with human hair from a local salon, which 40 volunteers helped apply. The trust says Tree Fall closed during the pandemic and isn't open for public visits, though the outermost door is open Friday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. It's exploring a docent program so visitors can come back in.

Earth Wall (2014)

The newest piece sits in the open-air Hardie Courtyard of the Presidio Officers' Club. Goldsworthy shaped a six-foot sphere from curved Presidio eucalyptus branches, buried it in a rammed-earth wall made with clay from the courtyard, then partly dug it back out. The trust lists viewing on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., when the club's free history exhibitions are open.

Background

The works were made possible through the nonprofit FOR-SITE Foundation; the Presidio Trust says Goldsworthy first visited the park in 2006. FOR-SITE notes the materials in Spire and Wood Line will decay over time, so what you see keeps changing.

More hidden spots: SF speakeasies and how to get in and Oakland's hidden bars.