Entry No. 12 — the San Diego file — filed under: outdoor

"Snake Path" by Alexis Smith (Stuart Collection, UCSD)

A 560-foot mosaic snake made of hexagonal slate scales winds up a hillside to a seven-foot granite book carved with a line from Paradise Lost, then loops around a small hidden "Garden of Eden" planted with pomegranate, fig, and apple trees and a marble bench etched with Gustave Doré's Adam and Eve.

The move: Walk the entire snake path up from the library, sit on the marble bench inside the coiled garden and read the etched quotations together, then find the huge stone book at the top for a photo.

• 📍 La Jolla (UC San Diego campus)
• 💸 Free
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Outdoors

Where: 9500 Gilman Dr, La Jolla, CA 92093 (hillside from Geisel Library east side to Warren Mall)

Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Official site

last checked: 2026-07-19