The Hobbit Map: Bilbo's Journey to Erebor
Follow Bilbo Baggins and Thorin's Company west to east across the map, from Bag End to the Lonely Mountain and back.
Hobbiton to Rivendell
The road in The Hobbit starts at Bag End in Hobbiton and runs east along the Great East Road. Bilbo crosses the Brandywine, passes Bree after about 120 miles, and enters the empty country beyond. In the Trollshaws the company meets Bert, Tom and William and finds the troll-hoard with Glamdring, Orcrist and Sting. Past the Last Bridge over the Hoarwell the ground climbs, and the road drops suddenly into the gorge of Rivendell. Hobbiton to Rivendell is about 460 miles by road, which took the company from late April to the start of midsummer.
Over the Misty Mountains
From Rivendell the only way east is up. The company climbs the High Pass, marked on the map above Rivendell, and is driven by a thunderstorm into a cave that opens into Goblin-town under the mountain. Bilbo is lost in the tunnels below, finds the Ring and meets Gollum by his lake, then escapes out the back door on the eastern slope. The Eagles carry the company down to the Carrock, a stone pillar in the upper Anduin. The crossing is short on the map, roughly 60 miles, and it is the hardest part of the road.
Beorn's hall and the edge of Mirkwood
East of the Carrock the land opens into the Vales of Anduin. Beorn's hall stands among oaks and bee pastures between the river and the forest, and Beorn feeds the company and lends them ponies. From there they ride north and east to the Forest Gate, the western door of the old elf-path through Mirkwood. This is the last friendly ground before the forest. Gandalf leaves the company here and rides south on business of his own, which the Appendices later connect to Dol Guldur in southern Mirkwood.
Through Mirkwood to Lake-town
Mirkwood is about 200 miles wide where the elf-path crosses it. Inside, the company drinks nothing from the enchanted stream, loses the path, fights the spiders and is taken by the Wood-elves to Thranduil's halls on the Forest River. Bilbo floats them out in empty barrels, down the river to the Long Lake and the wooden town of Esgaroth built on piles above the water. Lake-town is the last settlement before the mountain, and from its quays the peak of Erebor is visible about 40 miles to the north.
Erebor, Dale and the road home
The Lonely Mountain stands alone at the northeast corner of the map, where the River Running leaves its gate. The company finds the secret door on the western spur, Bilbo goes down to Smaug, and the dragon flies south and burns Lake-town before Bard kills him. Dale lies ruined at the mountain's feet. Then come the siege, the Battle of Five Armies and the deaths of Thorin, Fili and Kili. Bilbo returns west by the same road, wintering with Beorn and Elrond, and reaches Bag End on 22 June TA 2942.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Lonely Mountain on the map?
Erebor stands in the northeast, east of the northern end of Mirkwood and north of the Long Lake. Dale sits at its southern feet and the Iron Hills lie about 200 miles east. The River Running flows from its gate south to the Long Lake and on toward Rhûn. Distances are approximate.
How long was Bilbo's journey?
He left Hobbiton on 27 April TA 2941 and returned on 22 June TA 2942, so the whole trip took about fourteen months. The outward road is roughly 1,000 miles, and most of the extra time was spent in Mirkwood, at Lake-town, at Erebor after the battle and wintering with Beorn and Elrond on the way back.
Is the map of The Hobbit the same as the Lord of the Rings map?
They overlap but do not match. The Hobbit uses only the northern strip, from the Shire east to Erebor, and never goes south of Rohan. The Lord of the Rings map adds Rohan, Gondor, Mordor and Harad. This site draws both on one map, so you can switch the Hobbit route on and see how far north it stays.