Most SF residents will be familiar with the beautiful Lands End Labyrinth, an iconic rock maze that usually rests on an outcropping at Lands End. The labyrinth’s origins go back to 2004, but in recent years vandals have been known to destroy it, disappointing many hikers who like to visit the famous spot. However, SFGATE and The Bold Italic reported that the old labyrinth has been replaced with a new, giant heart built by locals Christian Tabing-Dalit and Thomas Lew.
Tabing-Dalit and Lew told SFGATE that they had originally planned on trying to rebuild the original labyrinth, but ran short on time and energy after hauling rocks up from the surrounding areas. They settled on creating a large heart shape, which took them 4 hours and was completed just as the sun went down. “That experience made us appreciate how much effort went into the original iteration of the labyrinth,” said Tabing-Dalit.
The heart has been a welcome sight for many visitors to Lands End, and several couples have already proposed at the site. Tabing-Dalit and Lew welcome constructive additions to their heart design, and hope that it becomes a project for the community to contribute to.
The original Lands End labyrinth featured an impressive 35-foot circular design, with intricate interlocking pathways creating a fun interactive maze experience for children and adults. Artist Eduardo Aguilera created it back in 2004, and informal caretaker Colleen Yerge undertook the responsibility of maintaining and rebuilding it throughout the years after some intermittent destruction attempts.
However, the labyrinth has been completely erased on 3 different occasions during the last year alone. As there were no rocks to be found, the vandals likely threw them into the water, and the available rocks down on Mile Rock Beach are starting to dwindle. Yerge called off her rebuilds since they take her about 24 hours each time, and the site remained empty until Tabing-Dalit and Lew decided to take a crack at it.
You can find the new Lands End Heart by hiking out to Mile Rock Beach off of the Lands End Trail. The heart is on an outcropping below two military gun foundations and above the beach itself.
Featured image: @415urbanadventures via Instagram