Landmark · Mirkwood
Old Forest Road
Men-i-Naugrim
The ruined Dwarf-road that once crossed Mirkwood from the Old Ford to the east
- Appears in
- The Hobbit
- Region
- Mirkwood
The Old Forest Road crosses Mirkwood well south of the Elf-path, entering the forest near the Old Ford where the Anduin is crossed, and coming out on the eastern side near the East Bight. On the map it is the straight line through the middle of the wood, north of Dol Guldur and south of the Mountains of Mirkwood.
The Dwarves made it in older days for traffic between their halls in the east and the passes of the Misty Mountains, which is why the Elves called it Men-i-Naugrim, the Way of the Dwarves. By the Third Age it had fallen out of use.
Beorn told Gandalf and the dwarves not to take it. The eastern end had been swallowed in bogs and untracked ground, and orcs out of Dol Guldur kept watch on it. He sent them north to the Forest Gate and the narrow Elf-path instead, which is why Bilbo's journey ran where it did.
Events at this place
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TA 2941 · The Hobbit
Beorn warns against the road
Beorn told Thorin's company that the eastern end of the Old Forest Road was lost in marshes and watched by enemies, and directed them to the Elf-path.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Old Forest Road run?
From the Old Ford on the Anduin east across Mirkwood to the East Bight, cutting through the middle of the forest.
Why did Bilbo not use the Old Forest Road?
Beorn said its eastern end had sunk into marshland and was watched, so the company took the Elf-path from the Forest Gate instead.